who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13
A woman said to her friend, "Through the difficult circumstances I'm going through, I have continued to pray that God would give me a way out. It looks like He is not going to change my situation." Her friend said, "God doesn't always get us out of difficult situations, but He will always give us strength to go through it. Ask Him for strength. He will give it to you."
The apostle Paul was in difficult circumstances when he wrote the letter of Philippians. He didn't ask God to take his problems away, but he didn't hesitate to ask God to give him strength. He knew that strength would come through Christ. Paul was aware that the Spirit of Christ was his constant companion no matter what his circumstances may be. Jesus promises to be with the believer always (Matthew 28:20). Paul confessed his faith in Christ during his time of distress and hardship. He was not depending on his own strength, but the strength that comes from Christ.
I hope that you are not going through a difficult situation today, but life will often throw difficult days and stressful times at us. What must we do? Well, it would be easy to give up and say, "I can't do it." We would be right to say, "I can't do it." But, every believer has a better option. We can truly say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Believe in the power of Christ during your difficult situations. If you must give up, then give up only to the strength of Christ.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we recognize that we are weak and need Your strength. We trust You to walk with us through the stressful times and to be with us always. Amen.
