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Colossians 1:11

¹¹May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy . . .

The Christian will face hardships and times of testing. Without these, we will never grow strong in faith. God allows the trials to come into our lives for our eternal benefit. Paul's prayer for the church at Colossae was that they be strengthened according to God's glorious might. The very power that raised Jesus from the dead can be ours to face the times of difficulty in our lives (Ephesians 1:19-20) We must rely on that strength rather than our own.

This strength that comes from the Lord enables us to patiently endure the storms of life. Patience implies that it may take some time. However, compared to eternity, every storm of this life is temporary. Paul calls them light and momentary (2 Corinthians 4:17). Considering the hardships he endured, he must have personally experienced the power he wrote about. The storms may seem so fierce that you cannot endure, but eventually the sky will clear and the sun will shine again.

Paul prayed that God's power would not only help us endure, but would help us do so with joy. It is one thing to grit our teeth and bear it, it is another to rest in God's power and trust in His promises. When we truly believe what we are doing is for God's glory and our ultimate good, we can possess an unshakable inner joy. It is a joy that we call "the joy of the Lord" (Nehemiah 8:10).

Prayer: I pray that you, dear reader, may be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.