Joy & Peace: A SOAP Journal Based on Philippians 4

S = Phil. 4:4-7 ^“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

O = This is one of the best-known passages from epistles. This is an amazingly joyful letter that Paul wrote from a dungeon while facing certain execution to a church that began in persecution (Acts 16). Paul knew that it was in the times of suffering that you really experienced the presence of God. He was an expert in facing difficult circumstances (2 Cor. 11:23-28). So when Paul speaks about what to do in hard times I want to listen, and this passage readily yields several observations:

• Like Paul, we too should rejoice in the Lord for he is always the same and a valid reason for joy.
• In our stress, we should not treat others unreasonably or unkindly because the Lord is really near.
• Instead of wasting time worrying, it would be a better use of my time to pray about everything.
• The prayer of faith gives thanks at remembering how God has been faithful in the past. It is also thankful in advance for the answers to our current prayers.
• When I choose to trust Jesus with all my concerns, his peace will guard my inmost thoughts and feelings no matter how crazy my situation.

A = So when I read this passage its application seems very clear to me. Take what Paul says seriously and lighten up by focusing on what is true about the Lord. Am I rejoicing in the Lord today? Am I treating others as though Jesus were right with us or would enter the room at any moment? Am I choosing to worry or to pray? Am I filled with gratitude to the Lord today? Do I sense his peace, a peace that makes no sense in my situation but I am experiencing it nonetheless? Today I choose to direct my gaze upon the Lord more than upon my problems and I am thankful for the peaceful perspective it brings!

P = O Lord, you are and have always been a faithful God! I delight in your nearness and ask you to help me to treat others as if they were a gift from you. Help me to continue to bring all my concerns to you, for you are the one who can change things, and when things don’t change you change me into one who can trust you in the dark as well as in the light. Thank you for protecting my soul with your peace! Amen.