Tuesday, December 10, 2024  //  Day 10

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:4–7

“My life has been filled with terrible misfortune, most of which never happens.” 
 – Michel De Montaigne

I love this quote because this quote is so often me. As I have aged and hopefully matured, I have found, like De Montaigne, most of what I worry about doesn’t even happen. 

A few years ago, researchers at Penn State University studied people who fought anxiety. They found out that 85% of what people worried about never came to pass. It seems like De Montaigne was right. 

Of course, centuries before any quote or study, the Lord gave Paul these words that have been so encouraging to the church. The cool thing about this is Paul isn’t saying, “Hey, don’t worry, be happy, because most of what you are worrying about won’t even happen.” Paul is saying the exact opposite, and one of the reasons we know that is because Paul was writing this letter from prison. His was a life of hardship, it was a life of pain, it was a life that would cause all of us to have fear, worry, and anxiety.

And in the middle of all he was going through, he gives us the true remedy for our anxious and worrisome hearts. First, he tells us to rejoice. This is so important he tells us twice – again, I will say, rejoice! With so much to worry about, Paul wants to make sure our thoughts are first filled with joy that Jesus has come. Whatever we are facing, those in Christ have reason to rejoice. We should have the appropriate emotions – sadness, frustration, or even anger, but all of our feelings come from a life that is founded on joy – joy that Jesus has overcome this world. 

The second thing he does is tell us to pray. We know that God is in control and that He is sovereign over all. Honestly, that is one of the reasons why I get so annoyed when I am anxious. If I know God is in control, why would I be anxious? But because I know God is in control, I also begin to wonder why certain things are happening. This is why we go to God in prayer. Not so that we can change the situation or change His will or ways, but so that our hearts can be lined up with His. When our hearts are in line, we have peace (even in the face of severe difficulty and affliction), and that peace causes us to – again I will say it – rejoice.