Today’s Verse
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 (WEB)
The Strength You Didn’t Have Until You Needed It
We had our second boy a year and a half ago (Jesse). Before he arrived, I used to think “how are we going to manage two when one feels so hard?” And honestly, two IS harder, more chaos, more demands, less sleep. I can’t even imagine three or more. I have so much respect for those who do.
But the strength I needed for two didn’t come before I had two. It came when I needed it. God didn’t give me capacity for two kids while I only had one. He gave me exactly what I needed when Jesse arrived.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This isn’t a promise that you currently have capacity for everything you might face. It’s a promise that Christ provides strength for whatever He calls you to, when you’re actually doing it.
Maybe you’re facing something that feels impossible, a health crisis, financial struggle, caring for aging parents. Or maybe you’re worried about something coming, a difficult conversation, a major decision, an uncertain future. Either way, you’re thinking “I can’t handle this.”
And you’d be right, not in your own strength. When Paul struggled with his own weakness, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 WEB). Christ’s strength is sufficient for what you’re actually facing right now. And for what’s coming? You don’t have that strength yet because you don’t need it yet. God gives us exactly what we need when we need it.
You don’t have tomorrow’s strength today. What you have is today’s strength for today’s challenges. And Christ provides that. Every single day. When the challenge increases, the strength increases to match it. Not before. But when you need it, it’s there.
Journaling prompts
Q. What challenge am I facing right now that feels beyond my capacity?
Q. When have I experienced God providing strength exactly when I needed it, not before?
Q. Where am I trying to handle today’s challenges in my own strength instead of drawing on Christ’s?
Q. What future worry am I carrying that I need to release, trusting that God will provide strength for it when (and if) it actually comes?
Q. How would my approach to today change if I truly believed God’s strength increases to match whatever challenge I’m facing?
Today’s Prayer
Lord, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, not in my own power but through Your strength working in and through me when mine runs out.
This isn’t a promise I can do anything I want but that I can do everything You call me to, that Your strength is sufficient for whatever You’re asking of me.
Teach me to lean on Christ’s strength instead of my own, to stop relying on my limited capacity and start drawing on His unlimited power available to me.
I face things that feel beyond my ability, tasks too big, challenges too hard, situations too complex, but Christ’s strength makes up the difference between what I can do and what needs doing.
Help me remember the key phrase is “through Christ,” that apart from Him I can do nothing but with Him empowering me, nothing is impossible.
Remind me that Paul wrote this from prison, proving Christ’s strength sustains us not just in success but in suffering, not just in victory but in hardship and limitation.
Give me confidence to attempt what You’re calling me to even when I feel inadequate, knowing Christ’s strength in me is greater than the challenge before me.
Let me live today with assurance that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, capable not because of who I am but because of who empowers me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Art print
If this devotional has spoken to you, the full 8 × 10″ art print is available to bring into your home. It’s printed on quality art paper, unframed and ready to place wherever you need a quiet reminder that Jesus is your strength. You can find it in my shop, with free shipping included.