“I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 (CSB)
Help!
This word may be simple, but my prayer sure wasn’t. It was one of the most gut-wrenching prayers I had ever prayed … and the most powerful.
It came after months of watching an already heartbreaking situation spin devastatingly out of control. I had cried out in prayer many times, offering up my solutions to God. But I was all out of words, with nothing left but a cry for help.
Have you ever come to the end of yourself like that?
I’m reminded of Philippians 4:13: “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Sometimes we may be tempted to read this verse out of context, but God's Word isn't cheerleading us to do whatever we want. While it’s true that anything good we accomplish is by God's power (John 15:5), if we zoom out a bit in the book of Philippians, we see Paul’s words weren't really about achieving our dreams.
Instead, Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi to encourage believers to find joy in Christ, persevere in faith no matter what, and “be content” in all circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12, CSB). The good and the bad. Moments of triumph and moments of desperation and emptiness.
When he wrote this around A.D. 60-64, Paul was imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel. When he said, “I am able to do all things,” he mostly meant things no one wants to do, like endure suffering and wait for God to intervene. Yet Paul revealed the secret to his contentment: It came by Christ’s strength alone.
Paul was not speaking about mere feelings of happiness, which he wasn't feeling in prison. Instead, true contentment means deeply trusting in God’s sovereignty and receiving His peace even when life feels overwhelming.
In my situation, I had been fighting God for control. I knew my desired outcome. Though I knew I should pray for His will to be done … what if His will went against everything I desperately wanted to happen?
But my strength was gone, so I had only two choices: 1) give up and sink into despair or 2) trust the God of the universe to do what He knew was best.
I chose the latter. And while the situation didn’t change, I sure did. Peace flooded my heart as I went from wrestling God to resting in His sovereign power and grace.
Contentment amid heartbreak is possible when we choose to rely on His strength rather than our own. Is there something you need to let go of to experience that for yourself? Will you trust Him enough to do so? Even if all you have to offer is a cry for help, that's all you really need.
Father, trusting You can be hard, but wrestling You is even harder. Give us the strength to lay down our resistance so we can experience true strength and contentment that comes only from You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
- Stacy J. Lowe
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
