Strength

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Ephesians 6:10 ESV

Ephesians 6 is well-known for the armor of God presented in verses 11-20. I'd like to focus on verse 10 in this post. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." Paul has been providing guidance for holy living to the Church at Ephesus. The whole letter is a guidebook on faith and salvation and how that should impact your life. In chapter 6, Paul concludes his instructions with how to stand against the enemy of God. Verse 10 is the beginning of those final instructions, so he starts with "Finally."

Be Strong In the Lord

Next is "be strong in the Lord." Having taken a few trips around the sun, I know there are many things people try to be strong in. First, let's address the word strong. We tend to view it in the context of physical strength or the ability to withstand something. Here, Paul is advising to receive strength "in the Lord." You may remember from English class that in is a preposition. One of its definitions is "expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else." According to Paul, our strength should be enclosed or surrounded by the Lord. To be strong in the Lord is to have power that is enclosed by the Lord. Soak that in for a moment. Now think about what you try to be strong in instead of the Lord. 

In The Strength of His Might

Paul loves to give you a two-for. The second part of this power duo is "in the strength of his might." The key to both parts of the statement is the Lord. I don't have the ability (or the space) to get into everything regarding the Lord. Like Paul, I'll hone in on the attribute of His might. We may feel well acquainted with the terms strong and strength. Might doesn't really get the same press. I'll blame that on Mighty Mouse. (If you ever saw the cartoon in the late 1980s, you know what I'm talking about.) Anywho, might can be defined as great and impressive power or strength. So Paul is saying we should be strong in the strength of the Lord's great and impressive power or strength. How great and impressive is God's power and strength? (If you know, please share in the comments) However that is quantified, we're to be enclosed and surrounded by it. Then we're to put on the whole armor of God.

I broke my brain thinking about this and appropriately as I'm typing this, Over My Head by Starfield is playing on my shuffle. God wants us to be strong in Him and His power. I pray that you take ahold of that truth and its reality for you.

Definitions are from New Oxford American Dictionary. Additional resource blueletterbible.org