When your cup is empty and your strength runs low, Revelation 3:8 holds a word for the weary. Jesus saw a small, faithful church, called them to hold on to what they had, and reminded them that all power belongs to Him.
By Dianna Hobbs
I was wondering: now that I’m 50, am I officially part of the Auntie delegation? It only seems right since I am now the target audience for AARP. A friend of mine bought me a gag gift for my birthday: a candle called “Back & Body Hurts.” The way I laughed! Well, I woke up this morning feeling just like the name of that candle.
Baby, this virus and infection I’ve been fighting for weeks have me feeling not quite so young and spry. My body is tired. My voice is weak. My energy is limited, and some days, concentrating long enough to finish a thought feels like an accomplishment. If my life were a cup this morning, you could see straight to the bottom.
Earlier today, I thought perhaps I should just rest. Replenish a bit. Give myself another day to recover. But the Lord had something else in mind.
“I want you to write anyway,” He told me. “Go with the strength you have.”
So here I am, being obedient.
Sacrificial obedience has been a recurring theme in my life this year. As I prayed this morning, the Lord took my mind back to Pensacola, Florida.
I told you about my ministry assignment there this summer. I was invited to preach at a Holy Convocation honoring the memory of my late brother, Bishop Christopher Brinson. He had served that fellowship for 17 years. Chris had been gone only eight months. And the assignment came just eight days after the first anniversary of my father’s passing.
I was still carrying so much grief that I unpack in my new book, Gratitude in the Dark.
I had originally agreed to minister one night. Then my sister-in-law Tammy, Chris’s wife, was so weak that she asked me to stand in her place that Sunday morning, too. I remember looking into the faces of people who had loved my brother dearly. I saw their tears. Heard their cries. Listened as they shared memories of him. And I was grieving right along with them. There I was, trying to minister to broken hearts while carrying the pieces of my own.
I had very little strength to give. But God met us in that place. His presence was so powerful, and He strengthened me to fulfill the assignment He had given me. I couldn’t have done it without Him.
This morning, as I sat here worn down in this body of mine, the Lord brought a Scripture to my remembrance. Jesus spoke these words to the church at Philadelphia, one of seven churches He addressed in Revelation 2 and 3:
“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8 NIV)
“I know that you have little strength.”
Jesus be knowing, y’all.
He knew exactly what that little church was working with. He saw their limitations, understood the opposition they faced, and recognized their faithfulness.
The Greek phrase translated “you have little strength” is mikran echeis dynamin. Mikran means little or small. Dynamin, from dynamis, refers to power, strength, or ability. In context, Jesus was likely describing a congregation with limited resources, influence, and standing. They weren’t a mighty, impressive assembly by worldly standards.
He knew their strength was small, and still He placed an open door before them.
In Revelation 3:7, Jesus introduces Himself as the One who holds the key of David, who opens what no one can shut and shuts what no one can open. That imagery comes from Isaiah 22:22, where the key represented authority over the royal household. By taking that title, Jesus declares that all authority is His.
The church had little strength, but Jesus had all power. That hasn’t changed.
There are times when God permits us to face something that requires more than we have to give. We may look at our circumstances and wonder how in the world we’re supposed to fulfill an assignment, endure a trial, or take another step when we’re already running on empty.
Maybe grief has taken so much out of you that getting through an ordinary day requires extraordinary effort. Perhaps illness has left you physically depleted. You may be carrying family responsibilities, financial burdens, or emotional wounds that have drained you more than anybody realizes. You love God. You believe His Word. You want to keep going.
Jesus knows.
A few verses after Jesus acknowledged the Philadelphia church’s little strength, He told them: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:11 NIV)
Hold on to what you have.
In the Greek, the command is kratei, from krateō, meaning to hold firmly, seize, or retain one’s grip. Jesus was calling these believers to keep a firm grip on what they already had: His Word, which they had kept, and His name, which they had not denied.
You may not have enough strength to do everything you want to do right now. You may not have the resources to accomplish everything you’ve been dreaming about. You may be unable to move as quickly as you once did. But you can hold on to Jesus. Hold on to His Word. Keep trusting His promises. Remain faithful to what He has entrusted to you.
I am reminded of what the Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, which is the sweetener I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration today: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (KJV)
As you drink down the contents of your cup, know this: Where you are weak, He is strong. So take the next faithful step He gives you, even if it’s a small one. The Lord who sustained the church at Philadelphia is the same Lord who is sustaining you.
And as for me, this newest member of the Auntie delegation is going to rest in that and keep holding on to His Word.
Now, let’s pray.
God, thank You for reminding me that when I am weak, You are strong, and Your grace is sufficient. Through it all, help me to hold fast to Your Word, rest in Your promises, and trust in Your sustaining power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
