Press In
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
We often wrestle with the hardships of life. We’ve all had our share. The car breaks down. The dog runs away. The kids can’t get along. The neighbor's music is too loud. We have financial issues and health issues. Sometimes it just feels like the walls are closing in, and we don’t know where to turn.
Paul understood hardship. In 2 Corinthians 11, he gives a summary of his many trials:
“Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes,” Paul says. “Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once, I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”
Yet here in Philippians, Paul gives us what he calls “the secret of living in every situation.” Instead of being overwhelmed by many hardships, Paul turns his focus to Christ, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Paul understands that when we are weak, Christ is strong. It is His strength that will sustain us when we have no strength of our own to lean on.
Don’t let the cares of this life overwhelm you. You can trust in the strength and stability of Christ to carry you through life’s insurmountable trials. Paul was human just like you. Press in. Lean hard. You, too, can do everything through Christ, who gives you strength.