4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Lord Jesus, though brokenness is in us and around us, we have multiple reasons to rejoice in you today. For starters, you are our perfect righteousness and constant Advocate, our sovereign King and loving Spouse. Don’t let us forget.
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Because of your nearness and kindness, we can risk being vulnerable and gentle towards others. We don’t have to be in control, right, or defensive. Free us for loving well.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
“Do not be anxious about anything.” Jesus, that’s a HUGE command… don’t be anxious about anything. With palms up, we give you the people we’d love to fix, the storylines we’d love to finish, the heartaches we’d love to heal, and the circumstances we’d love to alter.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for the promise of setting your peace as a powerful guard for our hearts and minds. As long as you’re with us in the storm, we can do storms. Knowing you’re with us and for us is enough.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things
Jesus, you are the truest and noblest, most right, pure, lovely and praiseworthy reality we can imagine, so we set our gaze and affection on you. Take our thoughts captive to think with your mind; overflow our hearts with your beauty and grace; and focus our eyes to see what you see. So very Amen we pray, in your tender and triumphant name.
