Rejoice in the Lord, Again!

A blog from Pastor Kathy.

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Phil 4:4-7, NRSV)

A few days ago I was typing Chris's devotion called "it's Possible!" based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and I was reminded of my own favorite version of Paul's favorite exhortation to rejoice, this one from Philippians. Many years ago, when I was a senior in college, I was going through a very difficult time in my life. One of my favorite professors gave me a little book entitled Rejoice Always based on Philippians 4:4-7. This passage in Philippians has been my "go to" passage ever since. I always start by mediating on verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. This was very hard for me for many years, because I normally come to this passage when I am unhappy, or angry or sad. I finally realized that the point is to rejoice in the Lord; I can rejoice in the Lord, because I know I am his, even when my life feels like it is falling apart. I know that there is a happy ending! Anything that I go through in this life ultimately will end. As the psalmist wrote, "Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5, NKJV)

The passage continues, "Let your gentleness be known to everyone." Now that I find I can rejoice in the Lord, I run into the next exhortation of Paul. I do not think of myself as a gentle person: sometimes I am loud, sometimes I can be short with others, especially if I am tired or frustrated or depressed. I have learned that, at least for me, the key to being gentle in my treatment of others is to remember the rest of verse 5, "The Lord is near." God' presence settles me down, calms me, reminds me to treat others as I would treat my Lord. I admit I continue to struggle to be gentle with others at times.

After telling us that the Lord is near, Paul tells us not to worry about anything. If I have learned anything in my 24 years of ordained ministry, it is that many, if not most, of us worry. Some of us are consumed by worry and anxiety, about our families, our future, our health, our work, our finances, our retirement. (The possibilities are endless!) Paul says, "do not worry about anything," which often seems an impossibility. Again, his next words offer the remedy for our difficulty: "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." I'm sure most of you know the hymn "What a friend we have in Jesus." Have you every really thought about the words? "Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in pray." The hymn, like this passage from Philippians, assures us that God is with us, ready to take our burdens from us. Rejoice in the Lord! With thanksgiving to God share your concerns, your worries, your burdens with God.

Paul promises that when we give thanksgiving to and for God, and share our needs and burdens with him, "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." We don't have to understand how it works, but in place of our worries, God gives us peace and promises to guard our hearts and minds in Christ so that we can continue to rejoice in our Lord, always!

Prayer for today: Almighty God and Father, you gave us Jesus to be our Savior and our friend. We give you thanks for all you do for us; give us your peace in place of the worries that plague us. May we rejoice in you every day of our lives. Amen.