Strength for the Next Step

 Strength for the Next Step

Dear Reader,

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” I have returned to those words many times. What does God do for us when we feel we cannot go on?

As I study Isaiah this month, I hear an answer in the Lord’s promise: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee … I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

I think of the day I was guided to seek sobriety. I think, too, of the day my husband died, when grief and loneliness seemed more than I could bear. I remember both days vividly. Neither became easy, yet in each I sensed a hope and strength beyond my own: a presence that comforted me and helped me take the next step.

John Piper reflects on the promises in Isaiah’s verse: God is with us, strengthens us, helps us, and upholds us. In my experience, those promises do not mean trouble disappears. They mean I need not face it alone.

I also hear a gentle invitation in the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” In a time of trouble, I can loosen my grip on what I cannot control. I can trust God for the strength I need today.

Today, as you face your moments of uncertainty not knowing the whole road ahead, you can find comfort in the wisdom of Isaih, John Piper or Bill Wilson and trust that God can always do for you what you can not do for yourself.

🙏🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️