“I can win tonight’s basketball game because Philippians 4:13.”

“Our relationship can make it through anything because Philippians 4:13.”

“I can beat this flu in two days because Philippians 4:13.”

“I’ll pass this test even though I didn’t study because Philippians 4:13.”

We have all made a statement at least similar to one of the ones above. We think that famous verse in Philippians is the answer to all of our problems. It justifies basically anything our heart desires at the time.

What we do not realize is that this verse in used in a very specific situation where Paul is literally in jail. His life is miserable. He’s not saying “Hey I can break out of jail because I can do all things through God who gives me strength.”

No.

He’s saying so much more.

Paul is talking about how he can be content whatever his circumstances are because of the God he loves and serves. He knows that there is a purpose for him going through this trial. He is content in the fact that God is using him.

We miss this so much. We would rather use this verse to prove that we can accomplish any great task. We need to realize that this verse is actually saying that we can be happy and serve God in any situation He sees fit to put us in.

We can be content in our heartbreak.

We can be content in our sickness.

We can be content in our happiest times.

And in our saddest.

We can be content when we fill like life is simply falling apart.

That is because God is the ultimate peace and comfort giver. He is the ultimate lover of our souls and He has a plan for all of us. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

Strength in its purest form is the ability to persevere when we want to give up. I have a feeling that when Paul was slapped in a nasty jail cell surrounded by the worst of the worst people in the most devastating of conditions the last thing he wanted to do was plop down on the ground, smile joyously, and happily await God’s instructions. I’m sure he was scared. And lonely. And hopeless.

Does this sound familiar?

At some point in our life we have all felt like this. You may not have been in a jail cell, but pain is pain. We’ve all been in a situation that we wanted to run from more than anything in the world. But God is calling us to be content and trust in His plan. His timing is best. It does not conform to human customs or traditions and it is often uncomfortable. God does not call us to be comfortable. He calls us to be obedient.