BE STRONG IN THE LORD

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).

I think Paul’s word for the Ephesian church in the above verse is a very needed word for us in this day.

In Ephesians 6, Paul is concluding his revelatory teaching on the church and the basics of the Christian life when he shares this powerful gem in verse 10.

“Finally” – Paul is saying, “Pay attention, this is really important!”

“Brethren” – This teaching is for everyone, not just a few in leadership.

“Be strong in the Lord” – the word strong in the original language is “dunamis” from which we get the word dynamite or power. It is the same word that is used in Romans 1:16 when Paul refers to the gospel as the “power” of God. The word strong as it is used here means that we “are to be empowered” by the Lord.

Two questions pop into my mind right away as I contemplate this phrase. First, what does Paul mean when he says, “Be strong in the Lord”? My second question is, “How do we become strong and empowered by the Lord?”

I think that when Paul said, “Be strong in the Lord,” he was acknowledging his lack of strength to do what God had called him to do and to be the kind of person he knew he was destined to be.

So how, then, do we become “strong in the Lord”? Do we attend another convention? Or perhaps there is a new book or DVD that will release all the secrets of “strength and how to get it.” None of those are bad, of course, they just don’t answer the question.

About 600 years before Paul wrote Ephesians, a young boy was taken from his home in Jerusalem to Babylon to serve in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel rose to prominence in Babylon and not only became one of the officials of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom but at the same time he began to flow in the ministry of a prophet of God. Daniel, the prophet, answers for Paul and for us the question of how to be “strong in the Lord.” “But the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32). The Hebrew the word for know is “yada” and it means “to be intimately acquainted with.”

One of the ways we understand what a word used in Scripture means is to look and see how it is used elsewhere, and especially the first use of the word. The first time yada is used is in Genesis 4:1: “Now Adam knew (yada) Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain.” Daniel is saying that being “strong in the Lord” comes from having an intimate relationship with God. It’s important that we grasp this truth because this is the very heart of what Paul was teaching about strength and how we become “strong in the Lord.” It can happen in only a very few ways.

1.    The Word

It is through the Word that we begin to see and understand just how great and powerful God really is. Every really strong Christian is a person “of the Word.”

When God spoke to Joshua after Moses died and informed him that he would lead the Jewish people into the Promised Land, a key part of His instruction was the importance of the Word in Joshua’s successful leadership. “Being careful to do all the Law . . . do not turn from it . . . that you may have good success . . . This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night . . . then you will have good success” (see Joshua 1:7-8).

2.    Prayer

God talks to us through His Word and we get an invitation to commune with Him in prayer (see Philippians 4:6 and Hebrews 4:16).

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus states, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat (dine) with him.” He is ready to come in and fellowship with us. This is prayer! This is the picture of a meaningful relationship with Him. Prayer is communion, having fellowship, having a conversation with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. It is out of this growing personal relationship that His strength becomes our strength.

One of the reasons both public and private prayer has fallen into such disfavor in the Church is because real prayer demands that we become intimate with the Lord. The Church has lost sight of the fact that it is out of this intimacy that we become stronger in Him.

“In the power of His might” - The word power used here means strength and the word might also means strength. I think we could say this verse this way: “We can be strong in Him only when we learn to draw strength from Him and His boundless supply of strength.”

It’s when we are in intimate relationship with Him that we are able to draw on His strength.

“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might” (Amplified Bible).