Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This is a fairly familiar passage to most people that have been around Christianity for a while. It’s only a few verses ahead of Philippians 4:13, which just about everyone knows, even the casual observers. I might do a study on 4:13, and understanding it in context in another study, but not on this blog post!
In this passage, there are several things. We are instructed to “Rejoice”… it’s so important I say it again, “Rejoice!”. We are told to “not be anxious about anything”. Our marching orders are to use “prayer and petition”, while also showing “thanksgiving”. If and when we do that, God’s peace, which we don’t fully understand will guard us.
Sounds easy right? Hardly! I guess it’s not that big a deal if the “every situation” is a good thing, or even a mundane thing. But, what about the really horrible times? What about the tragedies? What about the unexpected news? What about the death of a loved one, the dreaded late night call from the hospital, the news of cancer? What about the failing marriage, the loss of a job? What about wayward children or a spouse that is cheating? Are we really instructed to rejoice in every situation? Are we truly supposed to do this with thanksgiving? Let me play this out for you. “Dear Lord, thank you so much that my spouse is cheating on me. Today I rejoice in this situation.” Kind of absurd right?
So, how do we deal with this passage? I think the key to this whole passage is nestled right in the middle. Four simple words: “The Lord is near.” That’s the key. We don’t manufacture some pseudo joyful emotion and thankfulness when we pray to God about our situations. The joy, or lack of joy isn’t based on the situation at all. It’s all about “The Lord is Near”. This is faith. We know that the book of Hebrews defines faith as “being confident of what we hope for”. Our hope and our joy is not based on the situation, it’s based on our faith that “the Lord is near”.
We pray with confidence that God is in control. Our sorrow turns to joy. I believe the key to the whole passage is making the shift from “every situation” to “the Lord is near”. When we pray, we might be anxious, we might not be rejoicing, and we may not even have peace, but “the Lord is near”. Then, unexpectedly, we don’t even understand it, but God’s peace comes, and he guards our hearts and minds. My interpretation of that is: he changes our thoughts and feelings. He heals our emotions and pain.
Whenever you face a trial in life, you likely won’t be able to rejoice immediately, at least not in the situation. But, lean on your faith. Lean on the knowledge that “the Lord is near”. Pray and listen. God may not change the situation, but He will change your heart and mind. You’ll be shocked at the joy and thanksgiving that will return. The Lord is near … always!
My mind is still reeling from the all of the national tragedies over the last several years. The pictures on the news are horrendous. The pain of those suffering is unbearable. Lives were lost in an instant. And for those who survived, their bodies bear the marks.
I know that often during these disasters, people began to question the goodness of God. After the a shooting several years back, I had a family member remark “It makes one wonder if there could be a God when things like this happen”. As one of the few Christians in my family, I had little words to say back to her. Sure I could have gotten into a debate, but my heart, too, was aching with the questions of “why”. I could still find hope in the character of God but my relative did not have that to rely on. My words would have done little to change her opinion in the face of such horrendous and senseless crime which took so many lives.
For centuries, people have debated the existence of God in the midst of evil. I am not about to engage in that argument here for brilliant minds have tackled this subject and my feeble mind could not do the discussion justice. However, my heart longs for a response to these tragedies. I believe the writer of Hebrews provides that response:
Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.
Hebrews 13:3
The writer of Hebrews was not referring to the prison ministry we think of today, a ministry that reaches out to those who have committed criminal acts. However, this verse was referring to believers who were put in jail because of their faith in Jesus Christ. They were suffering from the brutality of an unjust government. A number of them would have been tortured. Others would have starved unless those outside of prison brought them food. Some would even have faced gruesome executions.
What are we called to do in the face of the suffering of others? Enter theological debates about the goodness of God versus evil? No! We are called to remember them as we would want to be remembered. If I was in prison, I would want others to pray for me, to visit me, to bring me food, to petition authorities for my release, to bring medications to treat my torture wounds, to minister to me in any way they could. Bottom line: I would want to be remembered. I would not want to be forgotten in my painful circumstances.
In the face of these national tragedies, we must remember those as we would want to be remembered. What would you want someone to do for you in your time of tragedy? Do that for them. Remember them.
For those who are in direct contact with the people suffering, they will be able to do more for them to help them during this time of need. But what about those of us who do not know them and have no contact with the people involved?
As I have pondered this verse in context of these horrific situations, I have come up with some things I would want:
Prayer – Real prayer. Not the “God help them prayer” but people truly interceding on my behalf.
Contact – Cards or e-mails filled with encouragement and support
Funds – Money to help with medical bills, counseling, loss of work time, recovery, learning a new way of life, possible legal fees, taking care of my family, etc.
We are called to do more than watch the news. There are certainly other ways we can get involved than just these three. The point is: we must remember those who suffer and remember them in their time of need. In so doing, lives are touched and impacted without having to say a word, without having to discuss God’s role when evil takes place. I am not called to a debate; I am called to make a difference. In the process of making a difference, I answer the debate. For in remembering others, the heart of God is shown to those who are suffering from the effects of evil.
Although it is the wide-scale tragedies which make the news, suffering is all around us. There may be those near you who also need to be “remembered”. As you minister to them in their time of pain, as you bring God’s heart near to their hearts, you will fulfill the second greatest commandment:
This is the first in a multi-part blog series on characters in the Bible. While these are stories of old, they are still strong examples of leadership for us today. What does a leader look like? What traits are most important? I might not do one every week, but over time, I plan on writing on many of the Bible heroes. We’ve heard the names, we know the stories, but do we really know the person. What made these characters a hero? After all, they’re not some superhero “Bible guy”. These are real people with real lives and real problems. The were ordinary people that God used.
Hebrews 11:7:
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
This New Testament verse is written in what has become known as the “Hall of Faith”. It’s a tribute to the great faith characters in the Bible. It’s an example to New Testament followers using an Old Testament character. This story is remembered by this one verse in Hebrews, but points toward the detailed story in Genesis chapters 6-9.
We get a little insight into the character of Noah in Genesis 6:9:
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
What kind of person was Noah? For our purposes, what type of leader does God use? I see three things:
Noah was righteous – righteousness is living to please God
Noah was blameless – while righteousness is about the Godly relationship, blamelessness is about integrity with others.
Noah walked with God – how was Noah righteous and blameless? He walked with God. This means he was “on the same page with God”.
Now, it needs to be understood, that Noah wasn’t perfect. Whew, that’s a relief. If you read the rest of Noah’s life and story, he made some pretty large mistakes. Oddly, that’s good news. We don’t have to be perfect to be used by God. We don’t even have to be perfect to be considered righteous. But, we do have to “walk with God”.
What was the world like in the time of Noah? Genesis 6:5 gives us a glimpse:
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
Yikes, “only evil all the time”. Basically, all of the world had turned it’s back on God. Man was living for self. The underlying current was self-absorbed. In essence, “if it makes me feel good, I’ll do it”. It was a truly wicked culture. By the way, the Bible warns us that Jesus will return to earth when things are “as they were in the days of Noah”. It’s not a threat, it’s a warning. It took Noah 120 years to build the ark. The whole time Noah was preaching of the coming destruction. It was likely a very short sermon: “It’s going to rain”. No one heeded the warning. The warning is the same today. Destruction is coming. It’s not a threat, it’s a warning. There’s still time to get on the boat!
Back to the character of Noah. What leadership do we see in him.
Hebrews 11:7 gives us more insight:
By faith Noah when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
“when warned”– God gave Noah the warning, and Noah heard it. How and why did he hear it? Because he was close to God. God does speak today, but there has to be a proximity and closeness to Him in order to hear His voice. Closeness to God brings thoughts you haven’t thought, perspectives you’ve haven’t had, and feelings you’ve never felt. How sad it is that many Christians, and even Christian leaders don’t hear from God. The way to hear: Get closer to Him.
“things not yet seen” – this part is awesome. Up until the flood, it hadn’t rained on the earth. God is warning about something that’s completely unknown. Noah lives 100 miles from a body of water and he’s building a massive boat (about 1 and a half football fields long and 4 stories tall). And, it’s taking 120 years. He’s asking Noah to do something over a LONG period of time, to prepare for something that was unknown and never seen before. Leaders follow instructions even when it doesn’t make sense. Genesis 6:22 tells us that Noah did EVERYTHING just as God commanded. Godly leaders are obedient, even when it doesn’t make sense. I’ll take it a step further. The weirder the assignment, the potentially bigger the thing is that’s coming. When God gets “weird”, get ready for something really BIG!
“in holy fear” – Godly leaders need an “awe” of God. There needs to be an attitude and lifestyle of worship. How did Noah get through 120 years on manual labor all while being mocked? Worship! Can you imagine the mental anguish of being doubted for that long, and also having to do the amount of hard labor for all that time? It wasn’t like there was a chainsaw to cut down all of those Cypress trees. I imagine with every chop there was a “I praise you God”, thrown in with some “I give you glory”. Then, to keep it real, “I don’t see water or rain or floods, I don’t even know what that is, but I choose to trust You God”. Noah chose to bless God’s name even in the hard days. By the way, so did Moses, so did David, so did Joseph, so did Daniel. See a trend? Leaders have an awe, a reverence, and a faith, even when it doesn’t make sense.
“to save his family” – could Noah have saved the whole world? Well, yes, if they had listened to his short sermon: “It’s going to rain”. But, he did save his family. Leaders save those closest to them. A leader takes care of the flock. Noah couldn’t convince the world to get on that ark, but his family made it. Why? Because that is what a Godly leader does. We can bemoan the faults in our world. We can be upset about the downfall of society. We can do our part to make changes. But, first and foremost, our calling is to guard the flock. For a church leader, that’s the one God has entrusted to them.
“By his faith he condemned the world” – Noah condemned the world because he followed through. It took 120 years of work and worship, but one day it finally came. God’s judgement arrived. Can you imagine that very first rain drop the very first time? “Uh, what was that?” “Why is water falling from the sky?” “Uh oh, maybe that crazy loon Noah has been telling the truth this whole time”. Noah looks at his family and says, “it’s time”. Mr. and Mrs. Kangaroo start their hopping journey. Mr. and Mrs. Bird give a little “tweedle dee, tweedle doo” and start making their flight. Noah had been given instructions without knowing how any of it would play out. He built a boat on dry land 100 miles from water with no idea how animals were going to arrive. No details other than how to build the boat were given. Yet, Noah did it. Once again for 120 years! And, his faith condemned the rest of the world. He was faithful when no one else was. This is a key principle of leadership. A Godly leader will do the right thing even when no one else understands. This can be hard. To be crystal clear here: One man was right, and all of civilization was wrong. What does that look like in our context? Just because all of society is screaming one message, it doesn’t make it right. We desperately need Godly leaders that listen and obey, even when it is completely counter-culture. Our faith should never be defined by public opinion or discourse. It’s always a matter of “what does God say?”. That’s all that matters. Godly leaders stand on God’s Word, no matter what may come!
“became heir” – Noah became the beneficiary of the inheritance because he believed and obeyed. There were so many days of ridicule and mocking. There were so many days that Noah was doubted. I believe (can’t prove this though), that in Noah’s humanity, there were days he even doubted himself. I mean 120 years of obedience with no sign of the promise is a LONG time. But, Noah endured. Noah did EVERYTHING that God commanded. And, in the end, Noah was rewarded. Complete faith is always rewarded. It may not seem like it in the hard seasons. It may seem that God is absent or forgotten you. But, faithfulness and obedience are always rewarded. It does and will come! Godly leaders dig in and focus on the coming blessing, while waiting. If God has said it, stick to it. Hold onto the promise. Then wait. Wait for God to show up, because He always does.
Noah is my first stop on this look at Godly leadership. There is so much we can learn by looking at these heroes. But, let’s never forget that even Noah was “just a man”. He had faults and failures like me and you. But, he made it into the “Hall of Faith”. Noah was a man that followed through. We need those Godly leaders today, that will stand up and do the right thing even when no one else understands. Godly leadership is most concerned about God’s opinion, because that is all that really truly matters!
“I Got Saved” by Selah is one of my new favorites. I love this song. I love the simplicity of the message. I found this video of some of the back story of the song, as well as a challenge video. Enjoy!
Have you ever been to a prayer meeting? I have been to a number of them in my days. There have been prayer requests from Aunt Martha’s bunion on her left big toe to serious requests for needed intervention. I will be honest, sometimes I have been attentive to joining others in prayer and other times my mind has been preoccupied with pulling lint off my sweater. (I am easily distracted.)
Not too long ago, I was awakened to a prayer request made by Jesus. It was a passage of Scripture that I had read many times. In fact, I had read it too many times but never really paid attention to what the words were saying to me. One day, I was reviewing a lesson that I had prepared for a group of highly energized elementary-aged children as well as their over-worked college camp counselors. That was when I was struck by these well-known, often-quoted verses that I probably have heard dozens of times while picking lint off my sweater:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
(Matthew 9:35-38)
Did you catch that last sentence? Jesus is sharing His prayer request. In the middle of Martha’s bunion and the upcoming surgery list Jesus raises His hand in prayer meeting and shares, “Please ask God for workers.” What kind of workers? Those who see the needs around them and respond to them. That kind of worker.
Often, the only time I hear these verses is when there is a call for missionaries to a foreign field. I am not criticizing their use at those times. However, Jesus made this prayer request in His home nation, while looking at His own countrymen. I think it is easier for us to want someone to get the “call” for over there, far from here, in a land far, far away (like in another galaxy). Yet, we forget the call is for us today right where we are.
The morning I was studying the lesson in which these verses leapt of the page, was the day I was teaching a group of elementary children that they ARE missionaries. Not that one day they will be missionaries. But today, in their homes, in their schools, on the playgrounds, on the sport teams; they are missionaries. If you are a believer in Christ, then you are on mission with Christ. And Jesus is saying:
“Look around you. There are people hurting. They need people to reach out to them. Pray for more people to see themselves as the answer to My prayer request.”
My elementary missionaries were taught a cheer to remind them of the truth of their commission in Christ:
Who’s a missionary? I’m a missionary. You’re a missionary. We’re the missionaries of God.
I needed that cheer more than they did. I needed to be reminded that it is not about me going to a remote village in Africa to answer the prayer of Jesus. I can be worker right where I am at for the harvest is plentiful here. I know of those who are:
…harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
But I know the Shepherd. And He has called this sheep to go to the other sheep who need to know the Shepherd. Dear sheep, Jesus has called you as well. Answer His prayer request. Be a worker in whatever city you are in. For every place on earth is the Lord’s harvest field.
