Psalm 138:3 says:
On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
I love that verse. The result of our calling upon the Lord is that He increases our strength of soul. But, what exactly increases in strength?
The human soul is the part of us that is eternal. God formed it in the womb, but it lives on eternally after our bodies die. It is the seat of our will, emotions, moral judgment, and inmost thoughts. The Old Testament uses soul and spirit interchangeably but in the New Testament, there is a difference. Our spirit is that part of us able to commune with God. It gets awakened at our regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Through it, God permanently changes the way our soul functions. He sets it free from enslavement to our human passions and Satan’s deceptions and turns its focus toward Him – just as He originally intended when He created humans and before sin got in the way.
Our souls can be strong or unsteady (see 2 Peter 2:14). Apart from Christ, they are restless and aimless. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 11:29 that we can find rest for our souls when we learn from Him.
I believe that humans were created with a need to find strength of soul in God. I remember a discussion I had many years ago with a group of Christian psychotherapists. I told them that it seemed like most people suffering from anxiety and depression go looking for remedies anywhere but a steadfast, dependable, loving external source. The experts wholeheartedly agreed.
And studies have supported that. We are made to draw strength of soul from God – the only unmovable, unchangeable, steadfast, compassionate source of strength for our souls. Corrie Ten Boom once said: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll get depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.”
Drawing strength of soul from God means a couple of things:
1. It means peace of mind – Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6,7 to let our requests be made known to God with supplication and thanksgiving so that the peace that transcends understanding may guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus echo the words of Psalm 138. There is a difference between soul, heart, and mind, but they are interrelated. What happens in our souls permeates down to our hearts and minds, and vice-versa.
2. It means steadfastness in our emotions – our feelings go up and down with circumstances. By fixing our minds on the Lord and calling on Him, we take them off those circumstances. The result is a more balanced and unruffled reaction to what’s happening.
3. It strengthens our willpower. Instead of our will being swayed by our passions, the opinions of others, or knee-jerk reactions to unforeseen circumstances, we call upon the Lord for divine wisdom and perspective and learn to submit our wills to Him. When we call on Him, we involve Him in the decision-making, which brings about both peace of mind and resoluteness in doing the right thing.
4. It sharpens our moral judgment. We are less swayed by trends and cultural changes, or a majority opinion. Instead, we draw our knowledge of what is right or wrong from God’s impartation through His Word. When we call upon Him when we need to assess the right course of action, He gives us His mind and points us to His Word. Our relationship with Him strengthens our knowledge to know right from wrong.
It seems like much of our everyday lives are either a hassle, a battle, or both. Our comfort zones are eroding rapidly, even in our wealthy Western world. We need strength of soul! God will give it to us in abundance, but only if we draw near and call.