"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be know 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." (Philippians 4:4-7)

As you are reading this, we are twelve days into the new year.

I am not sure how 2022 panned out for you, but I can imagine that there were good times and bad times. Some of you have lost loved ones and friends.Others experienced the first year after losing a spouse or cherished friend and the holidays have been especially difficult. Still others have welcomed new family members--whether by the birth of a child, the arrival of a grandchild, or by marriage. Most assuredly there were difficulties and setbacks. Equally, there were times of great joy and prosperity. You may have noticed that "Good Times" and "Bad Times" often happens at the "Same Time". 

No one is kept from trouble in this life.

Likewise, we all experience “common grace (God’s favor) to some extent. Yes, even those who do not believe in the existence of God or depend on his care are provided with sustenance and life by God’s hand! Every good thing you have is a gift from God (James 1:17; (Psalm 145:9) and not by your own might. Think about that for a minute.

For you who have faith in God through Jesus, the hard times are not for nothing!

The hard times have produced (or are producing) fruit in your life that otherwise would not have been produced! (John 15:1-5); (Romans 5:3-5); (2 Corinthians 1:4-6); (James 1:12). You most likely appreciated the refreshing care of Your heavenly Father as he brought you through many difficulties which seemed to swallow you up for a moment. You have had another year of experiencing God’s favor. This gives hope for the coming year and the confidence of the Psalmist when he encouraged the people with the words found in Psalm 100.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

The difficulties of the past year were not meant to harm you. When the branches on a vine are skillfully pruned by the vinedresser, the result is an abundance of growth that assures health for the vine. In the same way, the troubles you have experienced over the last year will strengthen your faith and will be a benefit to others.

You can expect more of the same in the coming year.

There will be times of hardship and struggle. At times you may wonder, “What is God doing? Will the darkness ever end?” You may have times during which you struggle to believe in God’s care for you. I encourage you to remember His care over these last 377 days! Recall God’s faithfulness, His provision in times of suffering, and His abundant satisfaction and rest.

I leave you with this. For the upcoming year I have a challenge for us all.

“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.” Philippians 4:4-7)

Unfortunately, this text is one that we often think of after the challenge has passed and we say to ourselves “I should've done that!” First there is a command. Secondly, there are ways in which we are to make our requests known to the Lord. And lastly, there is a great promise found in the text. It stands to reason that God is saying he wants us to come to him!

Read the text again.

First note God’s command: “what am I to do?” Then note “how” and with what attitude you are to keep this command. And finally, be sure to notice what God promises to do when you keep his command! I pray this practice will help you over the course of the upcoming year to remember His faithfulness from the past and to expect His faithfulness in the future!