The Strength You Need by Robert Morgan

The Strength You Need by Robert Morgan ISBN-13: 9780718079598 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Aug. 16,2016

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Pastor Robert Morgan leads a busy life as a pastor and is also a multitasking caregiver to his disabled wife. He has learned to fully embrace Psalm 84, as he moves from strength to strength. The valleys and the weaknesses are inevitable. Our task is to embrace these as we wait for God to take us to our next time of strength. After reviewing the 232 occurrences of the word strength in Scripture, Pastor Robert discovered twelve clear passages that drop anchor in God’s Sea of Strength. Among the kinds of strength available to every believer are:

Your strength will equal your days (Deuteronomy 33:25)

They go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:5-7)

The eyes of The Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9)

The joy of The Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1)

In quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15)

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden (Isaiah 58:11)

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights (Habakkuk 3:19)

Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God (Romans 4:20)

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16)

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)


My Review:
The Strength You Need is a study on 12 verses that refer to strength: Deuteronomy 33:25, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 84:5-7, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 58:11, Habakkuk 3:19, Romans 4:20, Ephesians 3:16, Philippians 4:13. The author talked about people who found the verse inspirational, about the context of the verse, and about what lessons we can learn from all that. His wife also described how these verses have helped her.

As I'm still building up my physical strength after a recent illness that left me very weak for months, I thought this would be a helpful book. Unfortunately, I didn't really find it so. First, the author sometimes interpreted the verse in a way I'm not sure was what was really meant given the context. Plus some of these verses were spoken to a specific person in a specific circumstance, yet the author acted like it's a promise given by God to every believer. Second, he sometimes turned the lesson into a Christian living sermon--how to avoid Asa's mistake, for example--which just left me feeling more burdened with "ought to be doing" lists rather than feeling strengthened.

I do like some of these verses and have felt comforted by what they say about God's character and how He helps us. But I don't particularly feel a surge of energy (like the author apparently does) after having meditated on these verses. If these verses are particularly meaningful to you, then you might enjoy reading about what he (and others) get out of these verses.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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