Philippians 4:4-9
“Rejoice in the Lord always – again I will say, rejoice!”
Beholding the Lord and having your heart be transformed by the reality of who He is, is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and life changing aspects of life. If we want our lives to be transformed into the likeness of Yeshua our Messiah, if we desire to be strong in our faith and be able to rejoice in the Lord always, in all circumstances, then we must give ourselves time to sit at His feet and meditate on His Word. Right now, go to a quiet place where you can meditate on the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you. As you read and pray through the passages below, ask yourself these three questions:
1: What truth is being spoken in these passages?
2: What does this mean for me?
3: How should I respond?
Now, read through the passages below in Philippians, meditate on them, and ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind as you read the Word of God. My prayer is that, by the end of your time, your mind will be renewed, your heart fully encouraged, and “the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Messiah Yeshua.”
“Rejoice in the Lord always – again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything – but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise – dwell on these things.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – put these things into practice, and the God of shalom will be with you.”
—Philippians 4:4-9
For the past nine weeks, as the coronavirus upended the world with fear, stay-at-home mandates, financial loss and isolation, we’ve turned to Scripture for the hope we each need to endure rough times.
Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.
Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.
The words God gave to His prophets often told about events in the current time, near future and a time even further in the future. They are always pointing us forward, but what were they pointing us forward to?
