Joy. Gentle. Near. Ask.
Jesus came to earth, lived as a baby, grew up, fulfilled God’s plan for his life, died for us all, rose from the dead, and went back to heaven. He was perfect, but things didn’t always go perfect for Him — not by a long shot.
I’m guessing that things don’t always go perfect for you either. That can happen, you know, without it being your fault. It happened to Jesus and it wasn’t His fault. Jesus said:
These things I have spoken to you
so that in Me you may have peace.Â
In the world you have tribulation,
but take courage; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
It comforts me to know that Jesus predicted tribulation for us. He is not surprised by our tribulations. The next comfort and promise in Philippians 4 is the wonderful invitation to talk to God about everything—everything—and then the wonderful invitation to plead with Him.
Many times parents tell children not to beg, but God wants us to.
As parents it is easy to get tired of the constant requests our children make, but God invites us to make requests.
He said to us:
- Don’t be anxious about anything.
- Feel free to plead.
- Ask Me. Go ahead. Ask Me.
And along with those prayers and pleadings and requests, He wants us to say, “Thank You.” With a Father like that, what else could we do but say “Thank You”?
Rejoice. Be gentle. The Lord is near. You can ask Me anything.
Let’s rest in these this weekend and continue thinking about Philippians 4 on Monday.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
This week I am writing from the following passage in Philippians 4. It is a passage I read every day. The encouragement and the promises are very sweet. Here it is, if you would like to read all six verses.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9