APRIL 24 – PHILIPPIANS 4: 4-8
REJOICE IN THE LORD
If anybody had an excuse for worrying, it was the Apostle Paul. His beloved Christian friends at Philippi were disagreeing with one another, and he was not there to help them. We have no idea what Euodia and Syntyche were disputing about, but whatever it was, it was bringing division into the church. Paul does not write, “Pray about it!” He is too wise to do that. He uses three different words to describe “right praying”: prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. “Right praying” involves all three.
Whenever we find ourselves worrying, our first action ought to be to get alone with God and worship Him. Adoration is what is needed. We must see the greatness and majesty of God! We must realize that He is big enough to solve our problems. Too often we rush into His presence and hastily tell Him our needs when we ought to approach His throne calmly and in deepest reverence. The first step in “right praying” is adoration. The second is supplication, an earnest sharing of our needs and problems. After adoration and supplication comes appreciation, giving thanks to God (see Eph. 5:20; Col. 3:15–17).
We are prone to pray about the “big things” in life and forget to pray about the so-called “little things”—until they grow and become big things! Talking to God about everything that concerns us and Him is the first step toward victory over worry. The result is that the “peace of God” guards the heart and the mind.
Peace involves the heart and the mind. “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3). Wrong thinking leads to wrong feeling, and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by worry. We must realize those thoughts are real and powerful, even though they cannot be seen, weighed, or measured. We must bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Key Takeaways
- Rejoice in God (4:4)
- Live in the light of His presence (4:5-7)
- Think worthy thoughts (4:8)
Context:
Paul’s love for the Philippians, which is evident throughout this letter, is especially apparent in the opening verses of chapter 4. One of his chief concerns was that these people would be characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, and peace were uppermost in his heart and mind for them. To experience these Christian graces Christ must be at the center of a believer’s life. Paul made this plain as he wrote to the saints at Philippi.
In this section of verses 4-8, Paul exhorts the Philippians to strive after four basic Christian virtues: (1) “rejoice in the Lord always” (v. 4), (2) be gentle to all people (v. 5), (3) be prayerful, not anxious (v. 6), and (4) meditate on excellent things (v. 8).
Closer look:
Verse 4: Sometimes the trials and pressures of life make it almost impossible to be happy. But Paul did not tell his readers to be happy. He encouraged them to rejoice in the Lord. In fact, he said it twice in verse 4 (cf. 3:1; 1 Thes. 5:16). Christ is the One in whom the sphere of rejoicing was to take place. Surely there are many circumstances in which Christians cannot be happy. Paul himself was an excellent example of one who had inner joy when external circumstances—such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death—were against him. During difficulties, in the midst of all situations, Christians are to rejoice. The joy of Christians is not based on agreeable circumstances, instead, it is based on their relationship to God. Christians will face trouble in this world, but we can rejoice in the Lord and delight in Him. We also know that through these trials, God will use these situations to mold us, shape us, teach us, and improve our character (Jas 1:2-4).
Verse 5: In addition to joy, believers are to have gentleness, which is to be evident to all. Epieikes (“gentleness,” also translated reasonableness in the ESV) suggests a forbearing, nonretaliatory spirit. This noun identifies a person who manifests a calmness and fairness of spirit. A gentle person is willing to sacrifice his or her own personal rights to show consideration of others. Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others—whether in gentleness or harshness—will be noticed. Why be gentle? Because the Lord is near (or “at hand”). This probably refers to the Rapture, not to His presence with His own at all times.[1] The Lord’s return could occur at any moment. Paul uses that fact to motivate the Philippians to honor God with their lives.
Verse 6: Joy and gentleness (vv. 4–5), accompanied by an awareness of Christ’s imminent return, should dispel anxiety. Paul exhorts the Philippians to pray about their circumstances instead of worrying over them. Paul’s appeal to the Philippians is “do not be anxious about anything.” Although the same word is 2:20 describes Timothy’s concern for the Philippians, here Paul uses the word to refer to worry. He prohibits the Philippians from worrying about their problems. But this was not a call to a carefree life. To care and be genuinely concerned is one thing. To worry is another. Paul and Timothy cared for the people they ministered to (2 Cor. 11:28; Phil. 2:20), yet they retained trust in God. Jesus warned against worry which obviously eliminates trust in God (Matt. 6:25–33).
Paul is urging them to commit their problems to God in prayer, trusting that He will provide deliverance instead of living in anxiety. Praying with thanksgiving involves trusting God. Four words are used here to describe a believer’s communion with God. “Prayer” (proseuchē) describes a believer’s approach to God. “Supplication” or “petition” (deēsei) emphasizes requesting an answer to a specific need. “Thanksgiving” (eucharistias) is an attitude of heart that should always accompany one’s prayers. “Requests” (aitēmata) speak of definite and specific things asked for.
Verse 7: When the exhortations of verses 4–6 are heeded, the peace of God (v. 7) will flood one’s troubled soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is a believer’s peace (Eph. 2:14), and every child of God has peace with God through justification by faith (Rom. 5:1). But the peace of (or from) God relates to the inner tranquility of a believer’s close walk with God.
This peace of God surpasses/transcends all understanding, that is, it is beyond man’s ability to comprehend. This peace guards the believers. “Guard” (phrourēsei, also used in 1 Peter 1:5) translates a military term which means “to protect or garrison by guarding.” Paul’s choice of a military term implies that the mind is in a battle zone and needs to be “protected by a military guard.” Since the purpose of such a guard in a wartime situation is either to prevent a hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping, the peace of God operates in the same way: to protect the mind from external corrupting influences and to keep the mind focused on God’s truth.[2] Like soldiers assigned to watch over a certain area, God’s peace garrisons the hearts and … minds, that is, the emotions and thoughts, of God’s children.
Verse 8: By the word “finally” Paul indicated he was about to conclude the section. Six items are mentioned as objects of a wholesome thought life, and each one is introduced with whatever. In the Greek “whatever” is plural, which suggests that several things could be included under each heading.
“True” (alēthē) things are of course the opposite of dishonest and unreliable things (cf. Eph. 4:15, 25). “Honorable” (also translated as “Noble”) refers to what is dignified and worthy of respect (this word semna is used in the NT only here and in 1 Tim. 3:8, 11; Titus 2:2).[3] To say another way, it describes that which is of honorable character. “Just” or “right” refers to conformity to God’s standards. “Pure” (hagna) refers to what is wholesome, not mixed with moral impurity. It is closely associated with the Greek word for “holy” and thus means “sacred” or “immaculate.” “Lovely” (prosphilē, occurring only here in the NT) speaks of what promotes peace rather than conflict. “Commendable” or “admirable” (euphēma, also used only here) relates to what is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive.
Paul commands the Philippians “to deliberate,” “to evaluate,” “to compute over and over” what is good and pure. In this way, Christians can renew their minds so that they will not conform to the evil habits of this world (Rom 12:2). These six objects of thought are then described as “excellent” (aretē) and “worthy of praise” or “praiseworthy” (epainos).
A note about worry:
Along with the potential division at Philippi, Paul had to face division among the believers in Rome (Phil. 1:14–17). Added to these burdens was the possibility of his own death! Yes, Paul had a good excuse to worry—but he did not! Instead, he took the time to explain to us the secret of victory over worry.
What is worry? The Greek word translated “anxious” (careful) in Philippians 4:6 means “to be pulled in different directions.” Our hopes pull us in one direction; our fears pull us the opposite direction, and we are pulled apart! The Old English root from which we get our word “worry” means “to strangle.” If you have ever really worried, you know how it does strangle a person! In fact, worry has definite physical consequences: headaches, neck pains, ulcers, even back pains. Worry affects our thinking, our digestion, and even our coordination.
From the spiritual point of view, worry is wrong thinking (the mind) and wrong feeling (the heart) about circumstances, people, and things. Worry is the greatest thief of joy. It is not enough for us, however, to tell ourselves to “quit worrying” because that will never capture the thief. Worry is an “inside job,” and it takes more than good intentions to get the victory. The antidote to worry is the secure mind: “And the peace of God … shall keep [garrison, guard like a soldier] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). When you have a secure mind, the peace of God guards you (Phil. 4:7), and the God of peace guides you (Phil. 4:9). With that kind of protection—why worry?
If we are to conquer worry and experience a secure mind, we must meet the conditions that God has laid down. There are three: right praying (Phil. 4:6–7), right-thinking (Phil. 4:8), and right living (Phil. 4:9).
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Robert P. Lightener, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 663.
[2] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1556.
[3] Lightner, 664.