Most of the time, signs, coffee cups, posters, etc will finish the quote I used as my title. It can be found in Philippians 4:13, and the entire verse is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. What is interesting to note is that an athlete like Steph Curry often uses this verse during games. He will write it on his shoes or uses Under Armor to produce clothes that say “I can do all things” without finishing the entire verse. His influence can easily lead someone toward an incorrect viewpoint of this verse. Even if the entire verse is used, “through Christ who gives me strength”, there is still a strong possibility for misuse.

Since this scripture is so widely quoted and used in art, culture, and for inspiration, it is likely we have an idea of what this verse means but have never thought about more than just a simple “that’s nice” thought. We might think, “I can run a marathon in Christ, who gives me the power to do so”, or “I will be able to tolerate work through the power of Christ”. In short, whatever obstacle or goal we have, we are led to believe that we can overcome or achieve that something because Jesus gives us the strength to do so. For someone like Steph Curry, this would look like winning an NBA championship or getting NBA MVP honors. For you, it could be something as simple as raising a family and paying bills, or something that is harder to deal with like the loss of a child or a terminal diagnosis. We see this verse as a promise that those who are in Christ are able to overcome anything that might stand in their way between them and peace or triumph.

However, like all Scripture that is pulled from context, this thought process is not what Paul is writing about in Philippians 4. In verses 11 and 12, Paul says that he has learned to be content in any circumstance, whether he is hungry, thirsty, has plenty, or is in need. He writes Philippians while under arrest and in chains (Phil. 1:13-14). This means that Paul, being hungry, thirsty, beaten, and imprisoned, is saying he can endure all of these things in Christ.

In our comfort-oriented culture, I feel his overall message is missed on us if we stop here. The reason is this: if it is possible to find contentment simply because we have our friends and family by our side while walking through the darkest moments of life, then our ultimate contentment is not in Christ but in those around us. After all, can we still find contentment when those we love are taken from us and the very people who brought us comfort are no longer there? If the answer is no, then we have discovered that our hope was not ultimately resting in Jesus, but in the blessings He provided, in this case, the people He placed in our lives.

The strength Paul speaks of in Philippians 4:13 is not found in the removal of hardship, but in the presence of Christ through hardship. The issue is that even the greatest comfort we find in friends and family is temporary because they are not eternal. Our deep desire is not merely to find moments of peace during hardship, but to possess a peace that cannot be taken away. This never-ending peace can only be found in something that does not fade or pass away. Therefore, it is only in Jesus that we are given strength enough to sing “It is well with my soul” when we have seemingly lost everything, because He is the One who remains forever.

“The trial is not where our strength comes from. The trial is where the strength of Christ is revealed through our weakness.”

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The following is a brief account that led Horatio Spafford to pen the Hymn “It Is Well”

In November of 1873, Horatio Spafford put his wife and four daughters on a ship bound for England. He stayed behind to finish business at home. Nine days later, the ship collided with an iron-hulled vessel in the middle of the Atlantic and went under in twelve minutes. Two hundred and twenty-six people drowned. Spafford’s wife was pulled from the water unconscious, floating on a piece of wreckage. All four of his daughters were gone.

When she reached shore, she sent him a telegram with two words: “Saved alone.”

Spafford boarded a ship to go to her. Partway across the Atlantic, the captain called him to the bridge and pointed to the charts — they were passing, at that moment, over the place where his daughters had died. He went back to his cabin. It was there, by most accounts, that he wrote the words “When peace like a river, attendeth my way.” Later, writing to his wife’s sister about that same stretch of water, he said simply that he didn’t think of his daughters as lost there — “They are safe… dear lambs.”

A man does not write “it is well with my soul” over the grave of his own children because the grief has stopped. He writes it because something steadier than grief has taken hold of him.

MercyMe writes these lyrics in “Bring the Rain”

…But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Someone who endures life’s greatest tragedies yet is able to do so with a song on their lips, no matter if it is sung in a minor chord, and praises their Savior can only do so through the strength Jesus provides. Phil 4:13 is not a call for self-reliance with a little bit of Jesus sprinkled in. Phil 4:13 is a call to worship Jesus no matter the circumstance because Paul knew that it would be only through this response to all circumstances that we would be able to find true everlasting peace.

One of my favorite quotes is this:

“I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages”

Charles Spurgeon

What Charles and MercyMe are both advocating for is not a desire for suffering itself, but a desire for the righteousness that God produces through suffering. James tells us that the testing of our faith produces endurance, and endurance makes us complete and mature. If righteousness is our goal, then we cannot spend our lives running from every trial, because trials are often the very tools God uses to shape us into the image of Christ.

The trials that should have destroyed Paul’s faith became the very places where Christ proved His sufficiency. This is why the response of a Christian in suffering matters so deeply. When we respond to hardship with bitterness and conclude that God cannot be trusted, we reject what He may be producing through the hardship. We forget that our Savior willingly endured the greatest suffering imaginable to accomplish our salvation.

However, when we respond the way Paul did, enduring and remaining faithful even unto death, we participate in the life of Christ. We pick up our cross and follow Him. It is in these moments of suffering that we experience the sufficiency of our Savior and are transformed to become more like Him. The trial is not where our strength comes from. The trial is where the strength of Christ is revealed through our weakness.

Ultimately, when Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he is not claiming that Jesus gives him the ability to accomplish every dream or achieve every goal. The “doing” Paul speaks of is not about conquering obstacles or reaching accomplishments; it is about enduring every circumstance through the strength Christ provides. Paul could endure hunger, imprisonment, suffering, and even death because Christ strengthened him. Philippians 4:13 is not a promise that Christians will avoid hardship. It is the promise that no hardship will ever be faced apart from the strength and presence of Christ.

The way this verse is often understood is: “I can win championships with Jesus by my side,” or “I can achieve great things with Jesus giving me strength”

Paul: “I can endure every trial life has in store for me because of the strength Jesus provides in my weakness, even if this means death”.

The difference between these two interpretations is that one places us at the center of the verse, while the other places Jesus at the center. One sees Christ as the means by which we accomplish our own greatness. The other recognizes that it is Christ in us who gives us strength in our weakness. We do not endure because of our own ability to remain faithful; we endure because His life is being revealed through us. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives through me.

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