Rejoice in the Lord…

‘Thanksgiving’ in America is one of the delights Judith and I experienced when we moved to New York in 2001. Despite the evil events of September 11, 2001 people at our first Thanksgiving Dinner expressed their thanks for the way the Lord had used the events of 9/11 to build their trust in him.

When we think about it, thanksgiving is a theme that permeates the Bible – especially the Psalms. And while we do live in an uncertain world, there is still much for which to be thankful.

Come with me to Paul the Apostle’s Letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verses 4 through 9.

An exhortation: Rejoice in the Lord always, Paul exhorts. And, as he doesn’t want us to skim over this, he says it a second time: Again, I say, Rejoice.

Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. He is repeating an earlier exhortation that we read in chapter 3, verse 1: Rejoice in the Lord. God wants us to so value our relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, that we long for the smile of his approval in all we do. Nothing else matters. He is our joy.

Paul is encouraging us to rejoice in the Lord because we can be assured that the Lord has his hand on the helm of the world’s events and our personal affairs. Come what may in life, he is working out his good purposes for his people. This challenges us to ask if we trust him in every situation – be it the loss of a job, disappointments, or sobering medical news.

Furthermore, in exhorting us to rejoice, he is not speaking about our being happy, always having a smile on our face. The joy he speaks of is the deep inner peace and contentment that spring from a personal trust in Jesus.

For this reason, he urges us to pray with thankfulness in our hearts: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

What remarkable and encouraging words: Don’t be anxious about anything … A timeless remedy for anxiety.

So Paul urges us to pray about our concerns in life, petitioning the Lord with our particular needs, and yet with thankfulness in our hearts for his goodness and mercy.

Here is the antidote to anxiety and the prelude to the experience of peace. Such prayer and thanksgiving express trust in God in every situation.

Let me ask, can you honestly say you are assured that Jesus is not only in control but that he truly loves and cares for you?

The promise of peace. In verse 7 we read: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, and in verse 9: …And the God of peace will be with you.

Peace, Shalom is a word of security. Paul was in prison for his faith when he wrote these words. He knew what it was to be anxious, even fearful about life’s injustices and disappointments. He knew the barbs that can hurt, especially false accusations and unjust persecution.

Encouragingly he speaks about God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds. Guard in this context conveys the positive idea of protection. As a Roman citizen, he may have had in mind the Praetorian Guard. It’s a great thought: God’s ‘Praetorian Guard’ providing security for our hearts and minds, and so giving us peace.

Furthermore, heart is the Bible’s way of speaking of what is deep within us – the desires that are at the very center of our soul. And mind refers to our decisions and thoughts that spring from our inner longings.

Now, if we remove God’s promise of peace from its biblical context, the idea of peace may be a great idea, but it is without substance. Peace in the Bible is profound because it is grounded in righteousness and truth. It is only meaningful because its foundation is the objective reality of the God whose very nature is holy and just. We enjoy peace only because God, whose very nature is to be merciful, has himself opened the way for peace between himself and us.

On the day of his resurrection, when Christ met with his disciples in a locked upper room, his first words were the conventional Jewish greeting: ‘Peace be with you’ (John 20:19). After showing them his hands and his side, revealing that he was truly physically alive he repeated the greeting: “Peace be with you” (20:21). In doing this, he was reminding the disciples of his words on the night of his arrest: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you … Do not let your hearts be troubled” (14:27).

The God of peace has stepped into our world in person and, in his righteousness and love, has provided once and for all time the means whereby his just requirements of us are perfectly satisfied. The resurrection of Jesus Christ assures us of the peace God has secured and now holds out to us. Nothing, not even death, can stand against it.

How much there is for which we can be thankful to the Lord from the bottom of our hearts. Is this real for you? How often do you express your thankfulness to the Lord – just at Thanksgiving, or every day?

A General Thanksgiving.  Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and to all people. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your amazing love in the redemption of the world through our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us that due sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be truly thankful, and that we may declare your praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

You may want to listen to the song, May the Peoples Praise You from Keith and Kristyn Getty.

May you enjoy afresh the riches of God’s love this Thanksgiving!

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© John G. Mason