Written on August 21, 2009: 

 

Our consistent prayer is for God to give us His knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and strength, in all things, in all decisions that need to be made, in how to handle situations and how to manage people. I’ve been reading a book called “Prayer and Missions” by Helen Barrett Montgomery. The book referenced Colossians 1:9-12, which is a letter that Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse:

 9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

Boy does that verse fit! I do feel like we are being “strengthened with His power, so we can have a higher endurance and patience”. To be strengthened with His power means He has to tear you down first. Think about how muscles grow: When you lift weights it tears the muscle down, and when the body rebuilds the muscle it is stronger and bigger. I feel that God is really working in me, tearing me down so He can build me back up again. So He can mold me into the person He intended me to be. And in the process, He is not only strengthening me, but also giving me His wisdom and understanding.