Do Not Be Anxious, For The Lord Is Near
Today was a good day. Actually, it was a good week. Now, there were plenty of highs and lows, with difficulties finding a chink in my armor at any number of movements or turns. But I saw God this week, and that is awesome. Let me tell you about one of the places God showed up.
As I was leaving the church today on a pastoral call, I was loading up to take a member back to their house as they needed a ride. We had just spent the last while going through Scriptures together and working through a most thorough list of Biblical wanderings.
As we stepped outside to head to my car, I noticed a bit of a lean to my SUV and saw that the driver’s side front tire was deflated all the way to the ground. It was a good old fashioned FLAT. It was not hard to go from grateful to mad at light-speed. But as I walked back into the church, before the “what-am-I-gonna-do’s” set in, I heard a familiar voice in the office. My dad had dropped by the church to help with an office project.
When he saw my face he knew something wasn’t quite right. I told him about the flat, and he gave me the name of the best people to call and what to tell them even before I could ask. Next thing I knew I was on the phone and lining up a fix. A guy in a truck showed up, plugged the tire, and had me back on the road before I could blink. It was a whirlwind of emotion, a lot like my week, with those same ups and downs, but there was one constant through it all—the nearness of God.
The flattest tire I’ve ever had!
“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.” —Philippians 4:4-7
I have no problem confessing to you that I am learning to rejoice no matter what is happening. Thick or thin, good or bad, I am a child of God and have cause to be joyful. Paul in the Scripture for today commands his congregation to rejoice, then turns around and says to rejoice again. I want to make this next comment recognizing the lack of Biblical scholarship behind it, but Paul says it twice because those aren’t easy words to hear when things are tough or down. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” What a command! Not a request, not a suggestion, but the language of command.
I know my circumstance was special, because even before I could pray my dad just showed up, but I hear so much in the various lines of the text (and I know some of you are thinking of other Scriptures that fit…and that’s good). Look how it says here “The Lord is near.” God was close and provided; it was as if my joy was being protected. But in the heart-pounding moment of “what-am-I-gonna-do” God was there and my joy returned.
If you want a real teaching on this Scripture my real encouragement for you today is to submit to the Holy Spirit by reading this selection of verses over and over and over…and over again. Let the Truth of God wash over you as Paul sought to encourage those in Philippi. And do not be anxious for the Lord is near!
—Pastor Whit
Read more inspirational messages regarding faith by checking out past Whitt’s End articles.