Rejoice!

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Rejoice!

I choose to make this day a day of rejoicing. The clouds of yesterday still fill the skies, and the news flooding the airwaves is not very good. Yet, I still rejoice. I admit that it is difficult sometimes, to find things to rejoice about some days, but God always provides something to hang onto, some blessing that pops up in my life that makes all the difference in my day.

I consider one day at a time as I press through this journey. Today is today. Today is all that matters, at least until tomorrow.

““So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭NASB‬‬

So far today I have awakened to a great sermon playing on the phone, had a great cup of coffee, nice breakfast, I am now listening some great worship music. There was even a text from my friend Randy Beridon who sent me some music that he is listening to this morning. That was one of those pop up blessings that helped me to focus my attention on the Lord and not on what is happening in the world.

Right now I am listening to the album, Today, by Brian Doerksen. That music is important as I have long history with it that I will have to write about at a later date. But, today, I want to focus on rejoicing.

We are in serious times, and it is easy to find ourselves so focused on the problem that anxiety levels increase and dominate our minds. If ever there was a time to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord it is now.

Do the things that you need to do to keep yourself safe. Self quarantine, eat healthy, use social media to reach out to each other, pray for others. Wash your hands often.

After doing all that you can do, find peace in knowing that God is in control of the rest. This crisis did not catch Him by surprise. I think the evil one thought he had a coup when the churches were shut down. Instead, the Church has flourished and is more unified than it ever was before.

There is so much to give thanks for, so much to rejoice in that we can find strength in Jesus. This situation has the potential to rob us of our joy, remembering the great things God has done brings peace. In those dark moments when despair is lurking and waiting to drag me down, I reflect on God. My life is full of stones of remembrance that I am able to refer to in times of trouble.

I urge you to turn to your own stones: bring to mind those times when God has delivered you. Look for the blessings in each day. Create little blessings for each other. Send messages to each other that tell them you are praying for them. One of the joys of the prayer chair is the messages I get from others. In that moment I know that I am not doing life alone.

I am adding a Wednesday prayer chair tomorrow. Pray for me. The opposition is great as the evil one does not like what I am doing. Praise God for the prayers of the saints!

THE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!