{"id":67135,"date":"2019-12-17T16:30:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T14:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=67135"},"modified":"2023-07-14T15:21:17","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T12:21:17","slug":"i-have-no-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/i-have-no-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"I Have No Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[529,384,808],"acf":{"old_id":"67135","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":58418,"related_cahpter":"374","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"But what gives us strength?","content":"

Chapter 40 deals with the strength of the Creator of the world and His promise to Israel. God calls His people the “worm of Jacob” to describe their weakness and in the name of the covenant, He promises to strengthen, support and redeem them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The LORD is God from of old, Creator of the earth from end to end, He never grows faint or weary \u2026 He gives strength to the weary, Fresh vigor to the spent (Is. 40:28-29)<\/span><\/p>\n

More than ten expressions of strength and fatigue, weakness and energy are found in the text! This attracted my attention and made me think of a commonly used phrase in our times: “I have no strength.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This phrase, used by people of all ages, serves as an explanation or excuse for lack of action. Attentive listening will reveal that it appears in the vast majority of cases in response to an external request (\u201cCan you bring me the x?\u201d \u201cKeep on studying.\u201d \u201cYour brother will be happy to get some help,\u201d etc.) and is not necessarily related to physical effort. This is what we call in professional language “motivation”, “inner motive” or “meaning”. Without these components in life, we are comparable to “worms”.<\/span><\/p>\n

What gives us strength?<\/span><\/p>\n

In my work as an educational psychologist, I have gained insights regarding this question: I ask the boy, parents, grandmother and educator who are coping with a serious crisis. “What gives you strength?” Their response sometimes comes at the speed of lightning and sometimes after reflection, or through teary eyes: “The children,” “My parents who survived the inferno \/ who have given me everything”, “The desire to hold the family together.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some do not know what to answer and expect my help. Others respond: “I have no choice.” And one mother answered me with a simplicity that was at once understanding and comforting: “God\u201d\u00a0 I was astonished and excited by this response.<\/span><\/p>\n

But they who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength (v.31).<\/span><\/p>\n

The prophet is telling us that our fatigue and strength (as a nation, and perhaps also as individuals) in the world is a direct expression of the degree of connection to the source of energy. Over and above all the reasons why we manage to survive\u00a0 and continue to exist, why we create and act in the world, there is one fundamental, all-encompassing reason – the will of God. The decision to recognize this and to strive to get close to Him is in our hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":67136,"id":67136,"title":"is40-strength","filename":"is40-strength.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is40-strength.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/i-have-no-strength\/is40-strength\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is40-strength","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":67135,"date":"2019-12-17 14:29:48","modified":"2021-08-25 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