Week 8: Rebuilding Strength and Trust in God
This week builds carefully on previous weeks about fear and doubt, and helps us begin rebuilding strength, not by forcing ourselves to cope, but by learning to wait upon the Lord and trust Him one step at a time. You may take this slowly. There is no expectation to complete everything, and you are welcome to begin anywhere that feels safest.
Before you begin
If at any point you feel overwhelmed, it is entirely acceptable to pause, step away, or simply sit quietly with the Lord. This week may touch tender places. We can take one small step at a time.
Scripture for this week
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”
Slides: Rebuilding Strength and Trust in God
You may view the slides below at your own pace, and you are also welcome to download them for offline use.
Optional download: Download Week 8 slides
Audio teaching 8a, Introduction
You may listen alongside the slides or on its own. You are free to pause, return later, or stop whenever needed.
Audio teaching 8b, Going Deeper
This shorter session explores how trust can feel hard after trauma, how hypervigilance and self-reliance develop, and how we can practise faith gently, in small steps, without shame.
Transcript (optional)
A written transcript is available for those who find reading more accessible than listening.
Read the transcript
Week 8 – Audio Track 1
Rebuilding Strength and Trust in God
Hello, and welcome to Week 8.
This week we are rebuilding strength and trust in God. Many of us can endure a lot, but trauma often teaches us to endure by
bracing, striving, and staying on high alert. We may keep going, but inside we are weary.
The Lord does not merely command us to be strong, He promises to renew our strength as we wait upon Him.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Notice, it is not self-renewal. It is renewal given by the Lord.
Trauma often makes waiting feel unsafe. Waiting can feel like losing control. But waiting upon the Lord is not passivity,
it is leaning the whole weight of the soul upon a faithful God.
Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Many of us lean on our own understanding because, at some point, our understanding became our survival.
We learned to predict, to manage, to anticipate, to scan for danger. But the Lord invites us, gently, to transfer that leaning,
little by little, onto Him.
This week, we are not aiming to feel instantly confident, or to pretend trust is easy.
We are practising small acts of resting faith, again and again, until the heart learns: the Lord truly is safe.
When we feel weak, we remember Paul’s words, because they are God’s words to Paul:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
We do not need to hide weakness from God. We bring it to Him. We do not need to perform strength.
We receive strength. And we can take one small step today, with the Lord holding us.
Read the “Going Deeper” transcript
Week 8 – Audio Track 2
Going Deeper – Hypervigilance, Control, and Learning Trust Again
In this session we look more closely at why trust can feel so difficult after trauma.
Trauma trains the nervous system to live as though danger is always near. Even in safe places, the body may still brace.
We may find ourselves over-preparing, over-thinking, and over-responsible, not because we are proud,
but because our hearts learned: “If I do not stay in control, something bad will happen.”
Over time, that control begins to feel like strength. But it is a weary kind of strength, a strength that never rests.
The Lord does not shame us for this. He invites us into a different strength, His strength.
Scripture does not tell us to deny reality, it tells us to shift our reliance.
Ephesians 6:10 says:
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
That means strength is not something we conjure.
It is something we receive as we depend on Christ.
This week, practise small trust steps. Choose one area where you usually brace or over-manage,
and do one gentle act of surrender, such as praying before you plan, pausing before you send a message,
or placing one worry into God’s hands and not picking it back up immediately.
The aim is not to become careless.
The aim is to become calmer, because we are held by the Lord who directs our paths.
Trust grows the way muscles grow, by repeated, small exercises, not by one dramatic effort.
We are learning to say, with Psalm 28:7:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.”
Reflection (optional)
These are not tasks to complete, only invitations to notice.
- Where do I feel most weary right now, in body, mind, or spirit?
- Where have I learned to rely on control instead of trust?
- What does “waiting upon the Lord” look like in my actual week?
- What happens inside me when I hear, “My grace is sufficient for thee”?
Practical tools (optional)
If helpful, choose one gentle practice for the week. We are not aiming for perfection, only steady dependence on Christ.
- Waiting Practice: Set a 3 minute timer. Sit still, breathe slowly, and pray Isaiah 40:31 once, unhurried.
- Trust Transfer: Write one worry, then write Proverbs 3:5–6 beneath it. Pray, “Lord, I acknowledge thee here.”
- One Step of Faith: Choose one small action you have been avoiding because of fear, and take one gentle step toward it.
- Anchor statement: “The Lord renews strength as I wait upon Him. I do not have to do this alone.”
Course booklet: Week 8 (written companion)
The following pages come from the original course booklet and are provided as a written companion to this week’s teaching.
Optional download: Download Week 8 booklet pages
Facilitator notes (for those leading others)
These notes are intended for those who may be using this material to support others in a group or pastoral setting. Individual participants are very welcome to skip this section.
Questions and support
If a question arises as you work through this week, you are welcome to ask it.
Please note: this is a teaching resource, not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, please contact local emergency services.
Closing encouragement
As we finish this week, remember that Christ does not call us to manufacture strength from emptiness. He calls us to wait upon Him, to lean our whole weight upon His faithfulness, and to take the next step with Him. We may be weak, and yet we are not abandoned. His grace is sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in weakness.
