For the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a blog series that follows my Bible study: Sustain Us Oh Lord: Finding Strength When Life is Hard. In June, I taught the study at my church, so thought I would follow up with blog posts.
This study began when I realized the multitude of Bible verses that contain the word ‘sustain.’ So I worked through a thematic study of the word and found some rich principles we can consider to help us through life. Sometimes life is indeed hard. When scripture gives us something to focus on that builds hope and spiritual strength — it’s a win-win.
One of the beneficial ways to study the Bible is through a word search. And because I am a wordsmith, I then use the thesaurus to find other words that fit the context. The word ‘sustain’ can carry the following meanings:
- Strengthen
- Support
- Comfort
- Help
- Assist
- Encourage
- Buoy up
- Give relief
- Supply
- Nourish
- Confirm
- Provide for
- Uphold
- Stabilize
Words carry such power. Most of us can remember from childhood if someone gave us a compliment. We can also remember negative comments which can grow into dangerous strongholds. So understanding the meaning of words, especially how they are used within the context and the culture of scripture, is vitally important to our spiritual growth.
Looking through this list above, consider how God strengthens you, supports you, comforts you, etc. A daily practice might be to speak prayers of gratitude over each of these words. “Thank you, God, for strengthening me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for comforting me….” And so on through the list.
Another spiritual practice might be to journal through each of these words with an experience you’ve had. How did God’s power sustain you during that difficult time? How is God helping you even now? Which of the words above jump out at you as a definite explanation of God’s sustaining help in your life?
I’d be interested in knowing what you think about these words and/or how you have experienced the sustaining power and grace of God. Let me know in the comments below. And welcome to this Bible study!
©2026 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
If you’d like to follow along in the book, order Sustain Us, Oh Lord: Finding Strength When Life is Hard. Available on Amazon.
I love this list of words. I’ve been focusing recently on Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. This speaks to me of how God has sustained me since my husband had a serious heart attack last March. He very nearly died and the immediate days following his attack were stressful, exhausting and beyond anything I could handle by myself. God carried me and he continues to carry me in all the ways the list of words conveys. I continually need his support to get through each day. Thank you for your blog posts and I look forward to the rest of this series.
Thank you, Ellen. I appreciate the encouragement!
The terms ‘strengthen’ and ‘uphold’ feel indispensable much of the time. Probably because they are.
Good point – yes they are!