Tired, Still Trusting
Faint, yet pursuing, because Jesus is our strength within.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven upon Earth, A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Gideon’s story reminds me that God delights to work through small numbers and thin strength. Judges 8:4 paints the scene with simple honesty, exhausted yet still in pursuit. A.B. Simpson thanks God for that kind of faith, a faith that does not collapse into passivity, and also refuses the pride of self-powered striving.
This is the heart of today’s reading. The Father chooses ordinary people, then He supplies the courage and endurance to finish what He started. There is a quiet partnership here. We show up with open hands and willing hearts. He provides the power and the path. When the road is long and our energy is low, Jesus does not scold. He indwells. He carries. He leads us step by step.
Simpson is warning me away from two ditches. One ditch is laziness that masks itself as trust. The other is willpower religion that wears us out. The middle of the road is the abiding life, where dependence and diligence walk together. I lean into the Lord, and I move forward in the works He prepared. I rest in His victory, and I take the next obedient step.
Thank you, Dr. Simpson, for pointing us here with warmth and clarity. Faint, yet pursuing is not a slogan for heroes. It is the everyday witness of believers who belong to Jesus, who know that our weakness is not a liability when the Lord is our life.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you in the going and the growing. I chose what the world calls weak to display My strength. Not by human might, not by human power, but by My Spirit. I work in you to will and to act according to My good purpose. You labor, and I energize that labor. You take the next step, and I supply endurance.
You are crucified with the Anointed One and you live because I live in you. Count yourself dead to sin and alive to God. Set your mind on things above. Walk by Me. Keep in step with Me. The treasure is in a jar of clay, and that is on purpose, so the surpassing power is clearly Mine.
When you are worn, My grace is enough. My power comes to maturity in weakness. Those who wait on Me trade in their weariness for fresh stamina. Run with endurance by fixing your attention on Jesus. Consider Him who endured opposition, so you will not grow weary and lose heart.
I made you for good works that I prepared in advance. So, keep pursuing. Keep trusting. Keep yielding. I will complete what I began.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of parallel parking your car on a tight street. You still turn the wheel and ease the vehicle into place, but the hidden power of power steering multiplies your small input. Without that assist, every turn would grind and strain. With it, the same motion becomes steady and sure.
That is how the indwelling Spirit of Jesus expresses His life through you in long days and difficult conversations. You remain engaged, attentive, and present, and His life supplies the steadying power. For example, when you are late, the schedule is stacked, and a coworker speaks sharply, you can pause and yield. Lord, I entrust this moment to You. Be patience and gentleness in me as I answer. Then you speak with calm honesty, you set a boundary if needed, and you finish the task without resentment, because the Lord is expressing His life through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am not left to push through on my own. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me, willing and working for Your good pleasure. Thank You that Your grace is enough when I am stretched thin. Today I receive Your life as my endurance, Your wisdom as my course, and Your peace as my posture. I agree with the works You already prepared, and I step into them with You. I trust You to complete what You began, and I rejoice that every weak place is an opportunity for the life of Jesus to be seen in me. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Judges 8:4; 1 Corinthians 1:27 to 29; Zechariah 4:6; Philippians 2:12 to 13; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6 to 11; Colossians 3:1 to 3; Galatians 5:25; 2 Corinthians 4:7 to 10; 2 Corinthians 12:9 to 10; Isaiah 40:29 to 31; Hebrews 12:1 to 3; Ephesians 2:10