4TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Out of weakness they were made powerful. 

Let’s look at a couple of the heroes listed in today’s first reading (Hebrews 11:32-40). David was just a boy with some stones, and Gideon was a farmer with the odds stacked against him. Yet David defeated Goliath with a slingshot, and Gideon and his three-hundred men defeated a huge Midianite army (1 Samuel 17; Judges 7). How did this happen? They had God on their side, that’s how.

These men are heroes not because of their natural abilities but because God was working through them—often in spite of their shortcomings. As the author of Hebrews puts it, “Out of weakness they were made powerful” (Hebrews 11:34).

Even so, you might think, “I’ll never be a hero. God would never choose me for such an important mission.” But God has chosen you—and for the most important mission of all: to love and serve him and his people. Sure, you aren’t called to slay giants as David did, but there are different “battles” each day in the struggle to love the Lord and those he has placed in your life. There’s the internal battle to be patient with your teenager whose emotions are up and down. There’s the battle to meet an unrealistic deadline at work without getting resentful or irritable. Some days, you probably crash into bed feeling like you did go to war!

God wants to remind us that it’s not all on our shoulders. Just as the saints and heroes of our faith did, he wants us to trust in his power and strength. He knows that on our own, we are weak. But when we make the decision to lean on him, he gives us the grace to overcome every challenge we face.

So in the heat of a trying moment, remember to pray, “Holy Spirit, help me!” But be prepared as well for those inevitable daily battles by spending a few minutes each morning asking Jesus to give you all that you need for what lies ahead.

God has called you to live a heroic life—in whatever form that might take. Even when you doubt yourself, don’t doubt God. Your weakness is no match for his love, power, and strength!

“Lord, I want to rely on you today!”

Psalm 31:20-24
Mark 5:1-20
Hebrews 11:32-40

WORD AMONG US