Paul says he learned to be content. That word, learned, is the one I keep coming back to. I find it encouraging that he describes something he had to learn, because contentment can seem like a quality some people simply have and others don't.

He wrote the letter while imprisoned. In the first chapter, he considers both the possibility of death and the work he could continue if he lived. He wants to be with Christ, but he also wants to remain and help the people he is writing to.

And notice it runs both directions. Paul says he knows how to live with little, and he knows how to live with plenty (Philippians 4:12). I tend to think of contentment as something needed when life is hard. Having enough sounds as though it ought to settle the question. But it is possible to have plenty and still be dissatisfied, or to become so comfortable that dependence on God gets little thought.

That is the setting for a verse that often gets separated from the sentences around it:

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13, ESV)

It is easy to read that as encouragement to accomplish whatever we set our minds to. Read it after Paul's description of hunger and plenty, though, and the claim is more specific. He depends on Christ for the strength to live through either. His confidence does not depend on getting the outcome he wants. That makes the verse useful even when a situation fails to improve.

Paul also thanks the Philippians for helping him. Immediately after verse 13, he acknowledges their kindness in sharing his trouble, and a few verses later he says their gifts have supplied his needs. He can be content and still appreciate relief. There is no need to pretend hunger is harmless or that another person's help makes no difference.

I keep coming back to this passage because most days I am nearer the plenty than the prison, and that is exactly when I forget. I can read it as encouragement for someone going through a hard time and miss how much it has to do with me. Paul includes plenty among the circumstances in which he relies on Christ. I need that dependence when life is comfortable too.