“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10)
In Japan, many people use bikes to get around. People cycle to the station to catch a train to work; mothers put their children into special child seats to take them to nursery; high school students cycle to school each day; baskets on the front and back of the bike enable people to cycle to do their grocery shopping. I use my bike to go to the gym, local shops and church. The area where I live is quite hilly, and there are a couple of places where I need to get off my bike and push. Sometimes, as I am struggling up a hill, a young mother with two children on her bike, or an elderly man might cycle right past me. A quick glance reveals their secret – they are using a pedal-assist electric bike. These bikes are popular in Japan for those who might otherwise find it difficult to cycle, especially mothers with young children. You pedal like you do on a normal bike, but it is equipped with an ‘assist mode’ which you can switch on when you need it, to give you a boost as you pedal.
This year’s Olympics in Paris marked 100 years since Eric Liddell won gold in the 400m in Paris in 1924. Many of you will know the story of how he came to run in that race. Eric’s best event was the 100m, but when he discovered that the heat would be on a Sunday, he withdrew and entered the 400m instead, quite a different race from what he had been training for. However, when he ran in Paris, he not only won the gold medal, but also broke the Olympic and World records. He said, “The secret of my success over the 400m is that I run the first 200m as fast as I can. Then, for the second 200m, with God’s help I run faster.” Eric knew he had strength for the 200m, but not for the 400m. He knew he needed a boost from God for that. He still had to do his part, running as hard as he could, but he knew he needed God’s help in a different way from the 100m.
God enabling us to do things that we cannot do in our own strength is a key part of what it means to live as a Christian. We see it time and time again in Scripture. Think of these two examples from Jesus’ healing miracles. When Jesus met the man with the shrivelled hand in the Synagogue, he told him, “Stretch out your hand” – the very thing the man was unable to do (Mark 3:1-6). When the four men lowered the paralysed man through the roof, after forgiving his sins Jesus said to him, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home” – again the very thing this man could not do. And yet in both instances, as these men went to obey the impossible thing that Jesus was telling them to do, they found that God had given them the strength to do it.
Paul writes something similar in his letter to the Philippians (2:12-13): “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” We are to work out our own salvation as God works in us.
I am currently writing a series of devotions for my church in Japan on God’s armour in Ephesians 6:10-18. We can see the same principle there in verse 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We are to be strong, but it is God who gives us the strength. As the passage continues, we see that we are to stand in the battle, but wearing God’s own armour which he gives us for the fight.
As we are faced with many challenges, both in our own lives, in the life of the church, and in the world at large, what an encouragement these verses are. We know that we do not have the strength to face these challenges or to do the things God may be asking us to do. But we can trust that as we step out in faith, as we seek to stand in the face of adversity, God will give us the strength we need. I am reminded of a hymn we sang in Holyrood when I was a student, ‘He Giveth More Grace’ by Annie J. Flint:
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labours increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
By Lorna Ferguson
