For Christians, the Bible is a source of hope and encouragement in times of distress and times of need.
Many times, people pick and choose individual verses without looking at the greater context. This can cause the original meaning of the verse to be misconstrued and it places the focus of the verse on us rather than on God and his character.
For the rest of this year, we will dive into a set of verses that are commonly used out of context. Many of these verses are used in this way to bring comfort, but without the context, we get false comfort or false confidence.
One of the verses commonly used in this way is Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
People often quote this verse before sports events, tests or other troubling life events. The issue is that God is not promising super-strength when we trust in him. The context of this verse is what truly makes it powerful.
Philippians 4:11-13 says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Paul, a devout apostle of Christ, endured many hardships and tribulations during his life. He realized that even when his life seemed to be falling apart, God was holding it together. In this context, we can see that even in the midst of our trials, our problems will begin to seem smaller when we place God at the center of our lives.
The secret to overcoming the obstacles in our lives is placing our confidence in Christ and his ability to handle the things we face. When we place our trust in Christ, he takes our burdens on his shoulders and carries them for us.
When we embark on journeys and struggles as Christians, our problems do not go away, but we don’t have to carry them alone anymore.
