Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
There is always a reason to worry and to be overwhelmed. This life is filled with hard, confusing moments and circumstances. Yet, even though that may be true, it doesn't mean we have to live in fear and worry. There is a promise God gives us no matter what life looks like. The question is what are we are going to do with it.
More than reasons to worry and be overwhelmed, for those who know Christ there are more and better reasons to rejoice. Philippians 4:4 says "Rejoice in the Lord always..." Not just when you feel like it, not just when things go your way. Always.
Why? Because this rejoicing is not in circumstances or in yourself; it's in God Himself. Rejoice because of who God is. Rejoice because He never changes. Rejoice because of all He has done and is doing. Rejoice because you belong to Him. Rejoice because no matter what happens, He is holding your life. Rejoice because God is with you, and He is in control. And just in case we down play it, "Again I will say, rejoice."
More than reasons to worry and be overwhelmed, for those who know Christ there are more and better reasons to rejoice.
So how do we rejoice in the Lord?
1. Fix your attention on God over everything else.
Don't spend all your time staring at your problems and your circumstances. "Do not be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication..." (Philippians 4:6). Anxious thoughts come when we stare into the unknown and feel helpless. When we feel out of control. But the solution is not to try to gain control over the situation; it's to look to the One who is above it. It's to see Him who is seated on His throne, the Sovereign King of Kings who overcame the grave. Prayer is a means to fix our gaze on Jesus, the beauty of who He is and what He has done, rather than being consumed by what we can't control.
2. Be thankful instead of complaining.
Complaining is a way of ignoring all the reasons to rejoice in the Lord. Each complaint is a choice to focus our heart on what isn't going the way we want or the way it's "supposed to be." Instead, what if we could replace all our complaining with gratitude. What if rather than constantly feeling we aren't getting what we want or deserve, we trained our hearts to thank God for the immeasurable grace that He has shown us and continues to show us every day.
3. Trust God to be God.
"Let your requests be made known to God." The reality is that we are not in control. There is only one person who is in control in this universe. As we pray, it's more than just hoping God does what we want. Prayer is trusting God to be God. It is submitting my will to His. It is humbling my heart to Him.
The promise is that as we pursue a God-centered life rather than trying to control everything on our own, God Himself will fill our lives with His peace. "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). This peace is something you can't manufacture or fake. It's a supernatural gift that comes from truly surrendering our lives to Jesus. The more we look to Him, the more our lives will be filled with His peace.
This peace protects our hearts and minds from being overwhelmed by life. It keeps our perspective aligned with reality (that Jesus is truly alive and reigning). And it allows us to live a life of rejoicing no matter what life looks like.
