Prosperity in Context: A Closer Look at Jeremiah 29:11

So far in the Verses in Context miniseries, we’ve taken a look at three verses from the New Testament (Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:28, and 2 Timothy1:7). Today, we’re turning to the Old Testament to examine another verse that is frequently claimed as a “life verse,” printed on journals, or hung on walls in isolation with no regard to the context in which it was written. Probably the most well-known translation for this verse is the New International Version, which reads:

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11

Many people have leaned on this verse for comfort and encouragement that God has a plan for their lives, and not just any plan, but a plan that will bring them general prosperity and safety. But is that what this verse is saying? Who is the “you” to whom God is speaking?

When we look at this verse in its context, we see that it is actually part of a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah to a specific group of people at a specific point in time. By Jeremiah 29, the Babylonians have invaded the kingdom of Judah (made up of the two southern tribes of Israel), captured the people, and taken many of them to Babylon, leaving only the poorest in the land. The first verse of the chapter tells us who the audience of this letter is:

“These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar [the Babylonian king] had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon” Jeremiah 29:1 (ESV).

So basically, everyone who had been exiled was the intended recipient of Jeremiah’s letter. Verse 2 tells us when the letter was sent, and verse 3 tells us by whom it was sent. The letter begins in verse 4: “‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:’” (ESV) Notice that God is the one who has sent the people into exile. Even though the Babylonians were the ones who invaded, this verse tells us that they did so at God’s allowance. God used them to punish the southern Israelites for their disobedience, as He had warned again and again that He would do.

In verses 5-7, God, speaking through Jeremiah, tells the people to put down roots in Babylon—to build houses, start families, “seek the welfare of the city,” (ESV) and pray for it. Apparently, the people had been hesitant to do this because they had been listening to false prophets (as described in verses 8-9) who made them think they wouldn’t be in Babylon for very long. In the preceding chapter, Jeremiah 28, we see that one of these false prophets, Hananiah, told the people that God would destroy Babylon within two years and the people would be free from their exile. God made it clear, though, that Hananiah was not speaking on His behalf, both through the words of Jeremiah and through Hananiah’s death (see Jeremiah 28:12-17).

So after God warns the people to stop listening to these false prophets in verses 8-9, He tells them the true length of their exile in verse 10—they would be in Babylon for seven decades: “‘For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place’” (ESV). And this is when we get to verse 11, which you may have noticed starts with our connecting-word friend “for”: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (vv.11-14, ESV).

God was essentially telling the people, “These ‘prophets’ think they know what my plans are, but they’re lying. I know what my plans are for you. You will be in exile for much longer than they’re telling you, but you won’t be in exile forever. I have promised to bring you home, and I keep my promises. My justice is not without mercy. When the time of your consequences is completed, I will bring you home, and when you truly seek me with your whole heart, you will find me, and I will bring you back.”

So that is the context of Jeremiah 29:11. The prosperity/welfare that God was promising was that of delivering the people from the poverty of exile and returning them to their homes. The absence of harm/evil was a promise that they would not be captives forever; God had not abandoned them to their enemies. The future and the hope that was in store for them was that of restoration of their land and of restoration of their relationship with God. And we see in other parts of the Bible (Ezra 1:1, etc.) that God fulfilled that promise. The Babylonian Empire fell to the Medo-Persian one, and, as the Persians had a different policy of dealing with captives and occupied lands than the Babylonians did, they eventually sent the Jewish people home (70 years after they had been taken to Babylon, just as God had said).

But does it follow, then, that there is nothing in this verse that is applicable for us today? Just because this verse has a specific meaning for a specific people at a specific point in history and the promises it made were fulfilled, does that mean we can’t claim its promises now for our lives? Does God not know the plans He has for us in the 21^st-century? Has He not given us “a future and a hope” too?

For those of us who have turned from our sin, trusted in Jesus and what He did on our behalf, and thus become adopted children of God, we are His people. Just as the ancient Israelites were chosen by God as a picture of what it meant to be God’s people and were given promises as part of that special relationship, so too, followers of Jesus, i.e. “the Israel of God” (see Galatians 6:16), those who are “a people for his own possession,” who “were not a people, but now […] are God’s people” (see 1 Peter 2:9-10), have been given promises as well.

Throughout the New Testament there are many references to the plans God has for us, to the future and the hope that we have in Him. In Philippians 1:6, we see that God will finish “the good work He began” in us (think that sounds like He has a plan for us?). In John 14, Jesus tells His disciples (including His future ones), that He is preparing a place for us and will come back to take us to that place to be with Him (see the echoes of Jeremiah 29:10-14? “I will bring you back to the place”). As we saw in Romans 8:28, followers of Jesus have the promise that even suffering and hardship are redeemed by God and used for our good (remind of you Jeremiah 29:11? “plans for welfare and not for evil”). Colossians 1:5 speaks of the “hope laid up for [us] in heaven” (see the future and the hope there?).

And Ephesians 1:3-14 speaks to all of these things:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (ESV, emphasis added).

Do you see how much that passage speaks to the plans of God, to the prosperity/welfare that is ours both now (spiritual blessings) and in the future (an inheritance), to the lack of harm/evil in store for us because of the gracious redemption and forgiveness God offers, to the hope that we have in Jesus and the future that is stored up for us, as guaranteed by the Holy Spirit?

So if we as Christians want to claim, ponder, or cling to verses that remind us that God has a good plan for our lives, we have a wealth of ones to choose from without needing to use Jeremiah 29:11 outside its context. But that doesn’t mean Jeremiah 29:11 is left with no encouragement for us. The way in which God dealt with the ancient Israelites shows us His character—both His justice and His mercy, His sovereignty and His love, His wisdom and His kindness. Just as the Israelites’ rebellion was not strong enough to overpower the love of God or to keep Him from fulfilling His promises, so too His love for us overcame our rebellion, and His promises to those in Christ stand secure. Just as He kindly and graciously returned them to their home, He will one day kindly and graciously bring us to our ultimate home. Just as their relationship with Him was restored, so we can enjoy a restored relationship with Him because of Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11, as it fits in the context of the history of the Israelites, reminds us that God is a loving, merciful God who never changes and who does what He says He will do—God, who is the same One to whom we belong. And that, my friends, is something worth holding onto.

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

.لقراءة الترجمة العربية لهذا المنشور إضغط هنا

PC: Teresa Cantrell. Used with permission.

Fearlessness in Context: A Closer Look at 2 Timothy 1:7

In this third installment of the “in Context” miniseries, we’re diving into another of Paul’s letters, but this time, instead of a letter to a whole church as we saw with Philippians and Romans, we’re dealing with a letter to an individual—Paul’s mentee Timothy. In the first chapter of 2 Timothy, we find a verse that is often plucked from its context and used in isolation. You’ll likely recognize it:

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).

Or perhaps you’re more familiar with another translation:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV).

This verse has been used as a pep talk for people facing situations that make them afraid, whether that fear falls on the mild or the paralyzing end of the spectrum or anywhere in between. But while the statement “God has not given us a spirit of fear” is true for believers across the board, Paul’s intent, as we will see from the context, was not to make a blanket statement about Christians never being afraid of anything.

To use an extreme example, I think we could all agree that quoting this verse to ourselves as we jump out of an airplane to convince ourselves that we shouldn’t be afraid is a questionable application. Some types of fear are healthy and prompt us to take wise, precautionary steps—like putting on a parachute and making sure we know how to use it before we jump out of the airplane. Using the verse “God has not given us a spirit of fear” to rationalize reckless behavior does a disservice to Scripture.

But even less dramatic examples of applying this verse stretch it to cover situations that are not implied in Paul’s letter. We have a big exam coming up, and we’re nervous about how we’ll do. We’re about to give a speech, and the butterflies are having a heyday in our stomach. We try to talk ourselves out of the nerves by telling ourselves, “God has not given us a spirit of fear,” or the derivative paraphrase, “Fear is not from God,” but we forget that nerves are not always equivalent to fear. Certainly they can be rooted in fear and at other times can turn into fear, but nerves in and of themselves are not always a bad thing. Sometimes they can be a gift, because they show us what we find important and can be harnessed into helpful energy.

There is ample evidence in Scripture to support the statement that “fear is not from God” (aside from the type of reverent fear that we should have of God Himself, of course). Time and time again, in the Old Testament and the New, God tells people, “Do not be afraid.” David talks about trusting in God when fear assails him (Psalm 56:3), and Jesus tells His disciples not to be afraid or troubled because He gives peace (John 14:27). So it’s not wrong to lean on the peace and strength of God in times when we are fearful, but pulling out 2 Timothy 1:7 for any and every situation in which we find ourselves uneasy does miss the very specific point that Paul was trying to make.

As we saw with Romans 8:28, 2 Timothy 1:7 is not written in isolation. The biggest clue that this verse is part of a larger whole is the very first word. “For” is a conjunction, a joining word, that usually connects one idea to another by using the second idea to provide a reason for the first. So to get the full idea that Paul is expressing, we have to go back to verse 3: “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:3-7, ESV).

Timothy, who was discipled by Paul, now serves as pastor over a local church, and Paul is writing to remind him “to fan into flame the gift of God.” Why? Because “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” But what is this “gift of God” and why does it require fearlessness to be cultivated? The answer to those questions lies in what follows verse 7.

Paul continues the chain of thought with another link: “Therefore.” Because we have a spirit of power and love and self-control rather than one of fear (v. 7), we should be bold in proclaiming the gospel and experiencing the suffering that doing so inevitably brings (v. 8). “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,” (2 Timothy 1:8, ESV). Paul was encouraging Timothy not to be timid in sharing the good news of Jesus.

In fact, the word for “fear” in verse 7 is only used this one time in the whole Bible, and it means cowardice.[i] Paul isn’t telling Timothy that God won’t give us feelings of uneasiness; he’s telling him that God hasn’t made us cowards. And more specifically, he’s telling Timothy not to be cowardly when it comes to telling other people about Jesus, even if it leads to hardship.

The concept of hardship doesn’t only appear once in this letter, though. Instead, it’s a bit of a theme, popping up again and again throughout the entire book. Paul’s mention of suffering in verse 8 is the first of thirteen such references in the four chapters of 2 Timothy:

        “I suffer” (1:12)

        “Share in suffering” (2:3)

        “I am suffering” (2:9)

        “I endure everything” (2:10)

        “if we endure” (2:12)

        “patiently enduring evil” (2:24)

        “there will come times of difficulty” (3:1)

        “my persecutions and sufferings” (3:11a)

        “which persecutions I endured” (3:11b)

        “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (3:12)

        “endure suffering” (4:5)

        “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed” (4:18)

So we see that Paul was seeking to strengthen Timothy, to remind him of the power of God that dwelt within him that would enable him to step out in boldness for the cause of the gospel rather than shrink back in timidity. And that same power that God gave to Paul and to Timothy, He has given to followers of Jesus today, through the Holy Spirit.

How often we are quick to claim 2 Timothy 1:7 to help us overcome difficult or intimidating tasks, and yet when it comes to doing what the verse actually references—telling others about the good news of Jesus—we leave it behind and let fear rule the day. May God help us remember, just as Paul reminded Timothy, “to fan into flame” the light within us that is “the gift of God,” and to do so with boldness and confidence, with power and love and a sound mind, because that is the type of spirit God has given us. May we “not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord” and “share in suffering” with Him, doing so with the spirit of fearlessness that only He can provide.

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

لقراءة الترجمة العربية لهذا المنشور إضغط هنا.

PC: Rose Creger Tankard. Used with permission.

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[i] Greek: deilia. See https://biblehub.com/greek/1167.htm

Goodness in Context: A Closer Look at Romans 8:28

After examining Philippians 4:13 in its context in a previous post, today we turn to another of Paul’s epistles to look at another verse that is frequently misunderstood—Romans 8:28, coming near the end of one of the most beautiful chapters in all of Scripture. Although its place in the rest of Romans 8 is often forgotten, this verse is also simply misquoted at times, resulting in just as much misunderstanding as when it is taken out of context. So what does Romans 8:28 say?

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (ESV).

Right off the bat, we should notice that the first word is a huge clue that there is more to see. “And” is a word of addition, so when a verse begins with “and,” we can be confident that there is a multi-part point being made and that the verse in question is only one part of it. So what is the point Paul is making in Romans 8?

To answer that question, we must step back even further and look at the overall outline of the book of Romans. Romans is Paul’s grand theological treatise in which he explains powerful truths about the righteousness of God.[i] The first eleven chapters show our need for a Savior, the means of our salvation, the effect of our salvation, and God’s sovereignty over the whole process, while the last five chapters explore how we are to live in light of our salvation.[ii] Romans 8 is the final chapter in a three-chapter section discussing the effect of our salvation—namely, our sanctification (i.e. our being made holy). In chapter 6, Paul talks about sanctification and sin, in chapter 7 about sanctification and the law, and in chapter 8 about sanctification and the Holy Spirit.[iii]

Paul begins chapter 8 explaining the difference between living in the Spirit and living in the flesh before discussing how those who are in the Spirit are adopted by God and therefore become co-heirs with Jesus. In this section, he returns to the concept of suffering, which he mentioned earlier, where he showed that followers of Jesus can rejoice in suffering because of what it produces in our lives (see Romans 5:3-5). In verse 18, he writes that our current sufferings pale in comparison to the future glory we will experience.

But this future glory is just that—in the future. In the present, we still live in a fallen world struggling against the desires of the flesh that war against our spirits. So as we wait for this future glory, there is a lot of groaning going on, yearning for the day when the new heaven and the new earth come to be. “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. […] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:22-23, 26, ESV, emphasis added). Until our bodies and all of creation are redeemed, we live in partial weakness, even as we have the power of God within us. We have been saved, but the extent of our salvation has not yet been fulfilled—we have yet to be glorified.

In the meantime, we experience hardship and suffering, just as creation experiences wildfires and earthquakes and other disruptions reflective of the fact that the earth has not yet been made new. But in this suffering, we have the comfort of knowing that we are not alone. And more than that, we have an active advocate—the very Spirit of God—who “helps us in our weakness” and “intercedes for us” (v. 26). But as if that wasn’t enough, Paul adds something else about the Spirit: “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (v. 27). The Spirit doesn’t just pray for us; He prays according to God’s will, meaning His prayers are always perfect and consist of exactly what is needed in each and every situation.

You may have noticed that we made it to verse 27, one verse before the verse of our focus today. So we’ve seen that after establishing what it means to live in the Spirit, what the hope for our future is, and what our present realities still are, Paul gives a string of encouragements. First, the Holy Spirit helps us and intercedes for us (v. 26). Second, He does so in accordance with God’s will (v. 27). And the third we find in verse 28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” So now that we know the preceding context, let’s unpack this verse.

Often, Romans 8:28 is misquoted to say, “We know that all things work together for good.” But this leaves out two key phrases that put conditions on whom this verse can be applied to. As much as we would like it to be true, we can’t use this verse to say all things work together for good for everyone—because they don’t. This encouragement is only “for those who love God,” which, stated another way means “for those who are called according to his purpose.” In other words, only those who fit the description in the preceding verses of chapter 8, those who are filled with the Spirit, who have been adopted as God’s children, are those who can claim this promise.

But even when we get that part right, we can still misunderstand the point of this verse by holding onto a faulty idea of what it means for things to be “good.” In our limited perspective, we think that good equals easy, happy, or pain-free, and that anything difficult, sad, or painful is therefore bad. This view stems from our desire to live a comfortable life. But God’s framework for goodness is different from ours. His ultimate goal for us is not that we be comfortable but that we be holy, so that we may better enjoy and reflect His perfection and glory.

We see this in what comes immediately after verse 28: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (v. 29a, ESV). That is our destination—being made more like Jesus. That is the ultimate good, and that is what God uses “all things” to work toward in the lives of His adopted children. 

So the encouragement to us is that God is able to use even the brokenness of the world and flesh we live in to achieve the ultimate purpose for our lives—our sanctification. He is able to take the suffering and the groaning as we wait and make it work together for our good. Because, as Paul said in Romans 5:3-5, God makes it so that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (ESV). In God’s economy, suffering can be redeemed to produce goodness—and it is redeemed in the lives of those who follow Jesus.

So while Romans 8:28 isn’t a blanket promise for everyone to have a “good” life by the world’s standards of goodness, it’s a much better promise—that no matter what we face in life as followers of Jesus, God uses it all for present and eternal good in our lives as He molds us into Christ’s likeness. And there’s more good news, too. Although this verse doesn’t apply to everyone, it does not exclude the possibility of its applying to anyone; that is, the door is open for anyone to call on Jesus and be saved, becoming His follower, an adopted child of God, and a recipient of His Spirit and the promise of Romans 8:28. For anyone who turns from a life of serving self, with all the sin that such a life entails, and turns to a life of serving God, placing their trust in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, this promise becomes theirs—immediately and eternally. How amazing is the goodness of God!

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

لقراءة الترجمة العربية لهذا المنشور إضغط هنا.

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[i] Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, 3^rd ed (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 366.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid., 367.

Strength in Context: A Closer Look at Philippians 4:13

Among the things I count most valuable from my history training is an understanding of the importance of context. It’s something that influences much of the way I think and interact with the world, because I’ve found that without it the chance of misunderstanding and miscommunication grows exponentially, whether interpersonally, scholastically, or cross-culturally. And when it comes to reading the Bible, context is no less important.

Yet so often, we pluck a single verse as if it were a daisy while ignoring the field of flowers in which it lives. We interpret a verse to mean a certain thing with no understanding of what was said just before or just after it. You can imagine the mess that could result from someone overhearing only a single sentence of a 20-minute conversation and formulating an entire opinion of the speaker and the situation based on that one out-of-context statement. So why do we think we can do the same with Scripture and avoid a similar misunderstanding? If we want to responsibly interact with God’s Word, then we should care about reading it in context and interpreting and applying it accordingly.

With that in mind, today’s post marks the first in a new miniseries here on An Iris Awaits in which we’ll look more closely at some of the Bible verses that are often taken out of context and thus misinterpreted. And what better place to start than perhaps the most commonly context-stripped verse of all—Philippians 4:13. One of the first verses children memorize, it’s plastered all over athletic posters, spoken in team huddles, whispered as a mantra, depended on as motivation in the face of something requiring physical exertion, and on and on. You know the one: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (ESV), or in another translation: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV).

When we look at this verse by itself, it seems pretty straightforward. I mean, “all” means “all,” right? Well, yes and no. I think we can agree that someone committing fraud, murder, or any other number of sins would be off base quoting this verse to themselves as encouragement to carry out their schemes. So if Paul wasn’t making a blanket statement about God giving us strength to do whatever we want, then what was he talking about? Any guesses as to how we find out? If you said, “Look at the context!” then you’d be right! It's important to remember that Paul didn’t make this statement in a vacuum. In fact, Philippians 4:13 is nestled right in the middle of a section in which Paul is making a point about something very specific—receiving generosity and being content.

Coming at the end of his letter to the Philippians, this section begins with Paul’s rejoicing over the ways in which the Philippian believers, part of Paul’s family in Christ, have provided for his physical needs. Let’s take a look:

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 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.

"Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:10-20, ESV).

So after referring to the recent way God used the Philippians to provide for him, Paul looks further back and shares from personal experience how God had used all kinds of situations to teach him how to be content “in any and every circumstance.” Regardless of whether he was faced with scarcity or enjoying having more than he needed, he had learned to be content. And it’s in this context that he shares, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” In other words, he was able to “be brought low” with graciousness just as he was able to enjoy abundance with the same attitude because of the strength of Christ.

The New International Version, a functional translation rather than a literal one[i], translates the verse this way, which I think better expresses Paul’s original intent: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (emphasis added). When we look at the context of Philippians 4, we can see that when Paul says “all,” he is talking about all kinds of circumstances, not all kinds of tasks, all kinds of situations, not all kinds of endeavors. He was able to be content “in whatever situation” because Christ gave him the strength to do so—and I think we can all agree that being content in any and every circumstance requires a strength beyond our own.

Now of course, we know that God does give us strength to do any number of things, even things that are insignificant in the scheme of eternity. Every breath we breathe, every ability to move every muscle, every capacity for thought and reason, every ounce of sustenance both physical and spiritual comes from Him. And when we are lacking strength in any area, we are certainly right to come before His throne of grace and ask Him to give us strength. Looking at Philippians 4:13 in its context does not negate these things.

But while it is true that any physical strength we have to run a race or lift a weight, any mental strength we have to take an exam or learn a language, any emotional strength we have to love others or put to death envy or anger is only ours because God has given it to us, those things are not the point of Philippians 4:13. In this verse, Paul is talking about a deep, inner strength by which he was able to live in contentment regardless of his circumstances. And even though he was speaking about his own personal experience, I think the principle that God’s strength is sufficient to equip a person with contentment is applicable to us as well. Whatever joyous or painful things come our way, regardless of whether we are hungry or full, regardless of whether we are covered or unsheltered, we can be content in any circumstance through Christ who gives us strength. Praise be to God for this supernatural gift!

To read the Arabic translation of this post, click here.

.لقراءة الترجمة العربية لهذا المنشور إضغط هنا

Artwork by Karla Forrest. 

Used with permission.

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[i] Functional translations of the Bible translate phrases of the original language into phrases that mean the same thing in the new language, with the effect that the ideas communicated are the same even though there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the words from each language. Literal translations translate each individual word.