Rejoicing and Peace
Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Paul’s letters often include a section like this one: verses that burst with energy and are chock-full of meaning.
Following his need to tell two members to start getting along again (see Philippians 4:2-3), Paul gives another reason why we should not be at odds with one another: we are supposed to be rejoicing always. Then he says it again: “Rejoice!” We cannot emphasize it enough!
This is all part of our witness for Christ. We need to radiate joy, gentleness, and a sense of peace that comes from knowing who is really in charge of the universe: Jesus! Rather than be bundles of nerves and anxiety, we pray. We hand over this world’s problems to this world’s Savior. Things may or may not change immediately, or come out the way we like, but we do the right thing by handing it over to him.
And the peace we receive as a result? Well, it does not make sense. Ours is a troubling world. Anxiety seems warranted. But, instead, the Savior who already passed through the worst things of this world gives us a peace we cannot understand. Jesus has already suffered all things for us. The peace he gives is not cheap or fake. It’s the real deal from the Savior who died and rose again for us. Thanks be to God!
Help us to cast all our anxiety on you, dear Savior. And whether our problems are resolved or not, fill us with the peace that comes from knowing we are held safe in your hands. Amen.
About the author — Scott Hoezee
Scott Hoezee is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church who served two congregations before joining the faculty at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2005 as the director of its Center for Excellence in Preaching. He is the author of numerous books, reviews, and articles, and he is a cohost of the radio program Groundwork, a sister-program of Today devotional. He is married to Rosemary Apol, and they have two adult children and a Boston terrier named Chester.
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