Rejoice... Always!

by Andrew Kerr

Introduction

I'm on vacation in England so I'm going to make this brief - in the few words that follow I hope to stimulate & encourage you by some thoughts drawn from John Gwyn-Thomas' short Banner of Truth publication (a 159-page collection of sermons on Philippians 4), whose title I have borrowed for this piece.

Q & A Session

His caption for chapter 6 is "The Impossible Imperative". In it he seeks to answer this question generated by the text - If we are commanded "not to be anxious about anything" but to pray about "everything" does that actually include seeming trivial matters of our lives? His 5-point conclusion is pastorally insightful and helpful!

  1. Since life is largely comprised not of big events but all sorts of small details, to omit God from the 'trivial' is to cut Him out of the biggest chunk of our lives.
  2. Since many small worries added together can overwhelm, and one tiny worry can disrupt our walk with God, all spiritual concerns demand due attention.
  3. Since Scripture specifically states God cares about minutiae (like falling birds or numbering hairs), false spirituality denies little things don't matter: instead, like Jesus, all small details must be brought before our loving Heavenly Father.
  4. Since, like Goliath, small matters may assume massive mental proportions if not set before God, proper perspective is regained when we pray about what we at first wrongly thought was trifling.
  5. Since John Gwyn-Thomas puts his last point memorably, I will give a verbatim quotation to settle all this in our hearts:
"Prayer is a way to turn our anxieties into the means of grace. The very worries themselves carry us back to God; they become the words of our prayers."

Conclusion

Does you circumstance leave you worried, swamped, or perplexed? Has joy in God deserted your walk with Christ? Have you forgotten to cast all your cares upon the Lord? Child of God! Your Father cares for you! Kneel, confess, explain whatever weighs you down! Trust His promises & turn all your worries over to Him.