Catching the big picture

‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’ Philippians 4.4

It may be that your circumstances are pretty dire and deep down you wonder what you have got to rejoice about. However, if you had said this to Paul he would probably have laughed! In this same chapter, he speaks about his frequent times of hardship and of going without. This letter to the people in Philippi was written when he was in prison. What did he have to rejoice about?

Paul was consumed with the wonder of God. He had a remarkable ability to look beyond his own personal circumstances and see the wonder of his God whom he knew loved him through and through.

How can we catch this? As you begin to pray, take your eyes off your own circumstances for a while and seek to catch the eternal truths that the Bible reveals to us. Father God calls us his children; so great is his love for us that he gave us his own Son; Jesus revealed to us what God is really like; he was so passionate about us that he died in order that he might carry the punishment for all we have done wrong; the Holy Spirit loves us enough to want to be so close to us that he lives in us. Ponder these truths – there must be something here that causes you to rejoice at the wonder of God.

Take one of these truths, or choose another from a creed, hymn or song. Ponder it and be dazzled by it. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’

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