I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
This verse is so powerful and while it doesn’t contain the word “hope” directly, it is filled with it. The King James Version says it like this: I can do all things through Christ which strengeneth me.
It is through Jesus that we have hope. His sacrifice is what has freed us from sin and provides us hope in eternal life. And it is also through Him that we can continue to hope in the good things the Lord has for us.
Jesus knows all we go through in life. He faced temptation, betrayal, grief, and many versions of pain on this Earth while He was here. Which is how we can know without a doubt that He understands the strength we need to press on in the way of the Lord.
Storms roll into our lives in all sorts of ways, darkening our skies, threatening our hope, and attempting to steal our strength. But we don’t have to be depleted ever. This verse tells us that Jesus will provide the strength we need.
When the storms roll in, Jesus wants us to turn to him. The cliché tells us that “God doesn’t give us anymore than we can handle.” The intent of this often implies that we on our own can handle anything because of Him. Yet, I believe there are 2 misconceptions about this cliché that are answered by this verse.
First, is that God gives us the storm. God created a perfect world with peace, health, harmony, and joy. He doesn’t “give” us anything that is negative, hurtful, causes anguish, etc. He does allow these things to come our way, and we don’t always know the why. So when it starts to pour and the thunder rolls in, remember, God didn’t give that to you. He may be allowing it but He didn’t provide it.
The second misconception is that the storm isn’t more than we can handle-on our own. Truth is, we can’t really handle the mundane, day-to-day on our own, left to our own devices. Sometimes that storm in our life is raging…BUT GOD! I believe there are things He allows that remind us we are to be relying on Him. That we need Him!
Jesus provides us strength to walk through anything which is meant to provide us not only with help and guidance but hope. He loves us so much, He is telling us to lean on Him with all we have because He can take it and He will be there to walk with us and also to carry us when we need it.
For those of us that adore the concrete and tangible, what does this mean? It means prayer, stillness, appropriately placing trust (ahem…letting go of control), and listening will give us all we need. I also strongly believe that continually reading Scripture does this as well.
I pray that if you are in the mist of a storm, the enemy’s attacks, or struggling to see how Jesus can provide all these things even though you can’t reach for His hand like you can your very tangible loved ones, that you see how Jesus is providing hope and strength for you.
As we wrap up our hope series, I hope and pray that you have begun to see how Jesus is the ultimate provider of hope and that we do not need to discount the trials we face in order to find it. Faith in Christ is not the absence of storms, rather it is the hope that sees us through them and secures the inexplicable hope and joy when they are silenced.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You know the doubts I harbor and the storms that have rolled into my life threatening to steal my hope and joy. Pour Your strength and hope into my heart that I may get through them with grace and know that there is peace out there for me. I know the answers to these storms may not be what I predict, and I ask that you help me to find joy even if a new normal is on the other side. Turn my heart to You so that Your will is my focus that I may have hope, peace, and joy.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen