Drawing Strength from God

Was thinking, how does one draw strength from God? Was feeling very tired today when I woke up. One dear bro had been sharing with me that he was feeling very dry, but with the little faith he has left, he'll hang on to God. :)

So thankful to God for him, that though a lot of things are on his mind, he, in the end, chose to say that he will stay with God.

Was so burdened, thus, today, and sitting on the edge of my bed, hair unkempt, and teeth unbrushed, and face unwashed. I was telling God that I could understand how my bro felt. Not that I'm faltering in my faith in Him, but I feel that sense of weariness, and I was wondering how does one draw strength from God in times like these?

When I read the Bible, the words seem so dry and devoid, and I try to see how they apply into my life, but they seem so irrelevant to my present situation.

Lord You seem so far away. A million miles or more it feels today.
And though I haven't lost my faith, I must confess right now that it's hard for me to pray.
But I don't know what to say and I don't know where to start.

Then opened my Bible and just read the Psalm that I was last at.

"Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me.
Becuase he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure;
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Psalm 16:5-11

And I felt so assured by these words, felt so much more peaceful. Because I know that He was speaking into my situation.

And the surprising thing was, I had read those same words yesterday, and they seemed so far away from me.

And I wondered, why do I feel so touched today, whereas yesterday was so different?

Perhaps it's because yesterday I was thinking about my own things, and hoping that God will speak something into my situation, so that I can handle the situation the way I want it to be.

But then, that may not be what Jesus had in mind.

And today, I was just reading the same words, just listening to what He wants to say, and accepting these words as my own, letting them be the words of my own heart.

And hee, God is so wise... later on, as part of my daily readings, I read Luke 10:38-42, about Mary and Martha who welcomed Jesus into their house.

[Martha] had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Wow... Jesus really knows the very condition of my heart, and He corrected me. :)

Hee... so now I learnt how to better receive, to better draw strength from God... it's just listening to His words, and accepting them into my heart, making them part of my own heart too. :)

Yup... hope it helps you too! If you know of other ways of drawing strength from God, please do share with me... so that we can learn from one another! :)