Provision of God's Sustaining Strength

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Paul shares that after pleading with the Lord to remove the burden he carried, God answered with a promise: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul goes on to explain that God’s strength becomes most visible where human strength fails, and so he learned to embrace his hardships as places where Christ’s power could rest upon him.

The Journey That Taught Me God’s Strength

My husband and I have calculated that over the 20 years we were married during his military career, he was away from his assigned duty station (home) for a combined total of at least eight years. His time away included deployments to foreign countries, pulling alerts, training exercises, and TDYs to other bases. Like most military spouses, I became a “single parent” during those seasons.

I began my close relationship with Jesus Christ in my teenage years. I was blessed to grow up in a home where church attendance was non-negotiable, and we participated in weekly religious education classes. My Confirmation teachers played a significant role in helping me understand the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus. In high school, I became involved in a program called SEARCH, which deepened my faith and helped me realize that Jesus was truly available to me. I had no idea then how vital those early experiences would become.

Caring for my children and managing our home while my husband was away became increasingly difficult during my second pregnancy. Along with the exhaustion and sleeplessness, I began experiencing sharp, persistent pain in my tailbone area. At times, it was so severe that sitting normally was nearly impossible, and walking became painful. After the baby was born, an X‑ray finally revealed the cause - a calcified crack in my tailbone.

As I thought back, I remembered an incident in eighth grade when a classmate and I were wrestling and I was thrown onto frozen ground. I experienced extreme pain that first day — enough that I used ice packs and had trouble sitting - but at that age I assumed it would pass, and it did. The pain only lasted a couple of days, and it didn’t seem serious enough to tell anyone or seek medical care. I had no idea anything lasting had happened. The pressure of pregnancy likely awakened an old injury I never knew I had.

One of my doctors believed that this injury may have been the catalyst for what became my ultimate diagnosis: fibromyalgia - a condition marked by chronic, daily pain, tenderness, and fatigue. The cause of fibromyalgia is still not fully understood. For some, it may be genetic; for others, it may be triggered by injury, surgery, infections, or emotional stress. In many cases, symptoms build gradually with no single event to explain them (1).

At the time of my diagnosis, the two children I had then were only one and two years old. Although I was still in my twenties, I struggled deeply with my energy levels. I often felt far older than I was - worn down, stretched thin, and unsure how I would keep up with the demands of motherhood and military life.

As time went on, I prayed often for a cure. I didn’t want to live in such pain. I feared it would worsen. I dreaded the days when Vernon was away because everything fell on me. On the hardest days, I spent even more time in prayer, asking God to take the pain from me. At one point, I learned about redemptive suffering and began uniting my pain and exhaustion with the suffering of Jesus Christ, offering it for the intentions of others. Because I was focused on redemptive suffering, I was mostly intentional with who I shared my pain, and most relatives did not even know the extent of it.

I soon realized that after most of my times in prayer, I received relief and energy. I could mow the lawn without needing double doses of ibuprofen for a couple of days. On the nights when the children were ill or simply “difficult,” I lifted myself and the kids in prayer, asking God to comfort them and to give me strength - and He did. God sustained me in my most difficult days and nights and gave me peace that all would be okay.

After a couple of years, a new doctor prescribed a medication that finally brought some relief - both for the pain and the fatigue. Although I still have days of significant discomfort, those early years taught me something profound: prayer was not wasted. God had been strengthening me, sustaining me, and carrying me long before the medication ever helped. If the Lord had not been working in me, those years would have been far more difficult.

Those early years allowed me to build a stronger relationship with the Lord. If I had not received that diagnosis, I may not have discovered the life‑altering presence of God at such a young age. Knowing that He would carry me in the most difficult of times gave me great comfort - and provided the rest I needed, even if only mentally and emotionally.

Today, nearly 36 years after that life‑changing diagnosis, I can testify to God’s sustaining presence. I have called out to God in prayer many times since then. He has met me in my weakness. He has sustained me when I had nothing left. He has given me purpose when I felt lost. He has been the calm during life’s storms. He has borne my burdens when I could not. He is my peace during chaos. He is my greatest comfort. He is my protector. Prayer is not just a request - it is my lifeline.

God Is Our Strength

There are seasons when our strength simply isn’t enough. We try to push through, hold everything together, and keep going — but our bodies, minds, and hearts reach their limits. It is in these moments that God invites us to discover a deeper truth: His strength is not a supplement to ours - it is the source of our strength.

Scripture tells us that “He gives power to the faint” (Isaiah 40:29). God does not wait for us to be strong before He helps us. He meets us in the very places where we feel worn down, stretched thin, and unable to continue.

Paul understood this deeply. He learned that God’s power is made perfect in weakness, and that weakness is not failure or lack of faith - it is the doorway through which God pours His sustaining grace.

During the seasons when pain, exhaustion, and responsibility press heavily on your shoulders, God is not distant. He is present in every whispered prayer, every moment of unexpected strength, every breath of peace that settles over your heart. He carries you when you cannot carry yourself. He fills the gaps your body cannot fill. He becomes your rest when sleep does not come.

The psalmist reminds us, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart” (Psalm 73:26). Our bodies may falter, our emotions may waver, but God remains steady, faithful, and strong.

And when fear rises or circumstances overwhelm us, we cling to the truth that “God is our refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1). He is not far off. He is not indifferent. He is with us — strengthening, sustaining, and carrying us through every moment we cannot carry ourselves.

The same God who carried you through previous seasons continues to carry you now.

Reflection Points

1. God’s Strength in My Weakness

God does not expect me to carry life’s burdens alone. In every place where my strength runs out, His strength becomes my sustaining power. He meets me in the exhaustion, the pain, and the overwhelm - not with judgment, but with compassion and help.

2. Sustaining Grace for the Hard Days

God’s grace is not abstract. It is the real, daily provision that enables me to keep going when I feel worn down. His presence steadies my heart, strengthens my body, and gives me the endurance I cannot find on my own.

3. Prayer as a Lifeline

Prayer is not a last resort - it is the place where God pours His strength into my weakness. When I remember to turn to Him, He responds with comfort, clarity, and the quiet assurance that I am not alone in the struggle.

4. God’s Faithfulness Through Every Season

Even when circumstances do not change immediately, God remains faithful. He carries me through the long nights, the painful days, and the seasons of uncertainty. His presence is my peace, my help, and my steady foundation.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for meeting me in every place where my strength runs out. Thank You for being my refuge, my help, and my steady source of strength. When I feel weary, remind me that Your power is made perfect in my weakness. When I feel overwhelmed, surround me with Your peace. When I cannot carry the weight of my responsibilities, carry me in Your faithful arms. Teach me to rest in Your presence, trust in Your provision, and lean on Your sustaining grace. You are my strength, my portion, and my ever-present help. Amen.

© 2026 Brenda Wheeler / Brenda Wheeler Ministries All rights reserved.

1. Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Fibromyalgia: Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354780

Scripture quotations are from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.