4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

This morning, I thought I might remind you of some things you probably know already, but could use the reminder. Notice what the above verses say:

  • We can and should rejoice, no matter what our circumstances. Why can we rejoice? Because we have a Lord! Jesus, the King of kings is reigning on His throne right now. So no matter who gets elected next week, Jesus is Lord! And that gives us hope! And hope gives us every reason for joy.
  • We can rejoice because the Lord is near! Let that thought flood your mind. No matter what is happening on here earth, the Lord is near to His people. Look up the following verses and meditate on them: Jer 23:23; Psalm 34:18; Psalm 145:18. Read, remember and rejoice!
  • We have an outlet for our anxiety by prayer to the God who hears. These are anxiety producing days. God knows that. That’s why He gave us verses like Php 4:6. And notice, there, he does not just say, “Stop being anxious!” as if you could do that on your own. He says, “Run with your anxieties to God, lay them on His shoulders, and let Him carry them for you.” Or as Peter reminds us “cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
  • We find joy in the choice to be grateful! “With thanksgiving let your requests be made known.” Gratitude is a choice! It is also a medicine. When you choose to focus on God’s gifts and kindness with a heart of gratitude, it helps shift the heart toward joy. Choose gratitude by grace this morning.
  • We have peace from God that guards our hearts! Run to Him. Let Him give what your heart needs. And more than anything, it needs Him.

Let us seek and find all we need this morning through faith in Christ,

Pastor S Scott Lee