Your Joy In Prayer!
"Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I will say, rejoice!"
Philippians 4:4
A common mistake some new Christians make
is assume that people like Jesus and Paul never
had burdens or
concerns. Surely, we aren’t like
them; yet we have anxieties and struggles.
But so did Jesus and Paul!
On the night of His arrest, Jesus was tremendously
burdened by the experience of suffering, which He
knew lay ahead. He learned to take those struggles
to God (Hebrews 5:7-8). And He did that through
prayer (Matthew 26:36-44).
And what about Paul, who wrote “the epistle of joy” (Philippians)
while in jail? Was he naturally joyful all the time. Are we expected
to be? Paul learned—and we must learn—what Jesus knew: The
secret to maintaining joy in this world is prayer to the Father. Paul
wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord” then wrote, “Be anxious for nothing,”
turning over anxious thoughts to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).
We can’t be joyful and anxious at the same time. Committing our
anxieties to God makes way for the fruit of joy in our life
(Galatians 5:22).
If you have anxious thoughts today, commit them to
God in prayer so you can enjoy His joy and peace.
"Only to sit and think of God—
oh what a joy it is!"
Frederick W. Faber
