A DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I think this biblical reality can be conceived of in two different ways.

Both ways see a believer faced with some kind of life-difficulty. In the first way, the believer prays and asks God to give him the strength to meet this difficulty. His view, or sight, of the difficulty has not changed. It is still seen as problematical in some fashion. Through faith in the Lord, expressed through prayer, the believer assumes that God will infuse him with the power needed to meet the challenge posed by this life-difficulty. I would see this as the "sight" way

In the second way, the believer still expresses his faith in prayer, but rather than asking for strength, he asks for spiritual eyes to see this life-difficulty as a blessing to be welcomed and boasted of, because it will not only be good for him (Ja. 1:2-4), but will showcase the Lord's great power (II Cor 12:9-10). In this way, the believer is strengthened, not to victoriously beat the problem, but rather to view the problem through the eyes of faith, contrary to how the eyes of flesh are seeing it. I would see this as the faith way.

In summary -

The first way looks like this:

1. A believer encounters a life-difficulty.
2. He prays, asking the Lord for strength.
3. The lord infuses him with "strength" to address this life-difficulty as a problem to be solved, overcome, or endured.

The second way goes like this:

1. A believer encounters a life-difficulty.
2. He prays, asking the Lord to be able to see this life-difficulty, not by sight (a.k.a. as a problem), but by faith (a.k.a. as a blessing).
3. The Lord strengthens him to believe that this situation, which sight is telling him is a problem, is actually a blessing in disguise.

In the first way, strength is believed to be a product that comes directly from God, making the believer strong.

In the second way, strength is a by-product that comes indirectly from God whose power is showcased through the new eyes given to the believer.

In the first way, what is seen is the believer's strength.

In the second way, what is seen is the power of God that once again causes the blind to see.