In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Would you like to be taller or thinner or stronger? Would you like to be older or younger? If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? As I read these words from Philippians chapter four, I am reminded of what I would like to be. I would like to be a person who is always rejoicing in the Lord, who is completely free from worry and anxiety, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you like to live a life that is filled with deep and lasting joy, a life that is free from anxiety and worry?

Many wealthy people don't have that. Many famous people don't have that. Many people who seem to be happy really are not happy. But what about you and me? Could we have that kind of life? Yes! It says:

1. By trusting in Jesus, no matter what.

Scripture says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." And "always" means always, no matter what. We are to rejoice in the good days and the rough ones. Even if we suffer pain, we are to "rejoice in the Lord always." Even if we contract cancer, we are to "rejoice in the Lord always." Even if our dearest loved one dies, we are to "rejoice in the Lord always." Though tears might stream down our cheeks, we are to have joy within. In order to emphasize this point, the apostle wrote, "I will say it again: Rejoice!" That isn't easy. It's impossible for us.

It just isn't natural for sinners to be happy in the face of terrible pain and loss and grief. But God gives joy to his believers. It is a different kind of joy. This joy is not based on the roller-coaster emotions of every day life in this sinful world. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit works this joy in us. Notice that it says here, "Rejoice IN THE LORD." Those three words are very important, "in the Lord." We are not happy that we have difficulties. We are not happy that we suffer persecution or pain. But we can be happy "in the Lord" in spite of all these things. We can rejoice in the face of suffering.

The apostle Paul wrote this words while he was being held captive as a prisoner. He was suffering persecution. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always!" That's remarkable faith. God worked that in his heart.

Think of those martyrs, burning at the stake. They could have whined and complained. They could have said, "It isn't fair." But instead, we are told that they sang hymns of praise to God! The non-believers could not understand this. The believers sang hymns of praise to God with happy hearts as they burned to death. How could they do that? ... By trusting in Jesus, no matter what! They knew what was going to happen. In a matter of minutes, they were going to be in heaven. They were glad about that. Their sins were forgiven by Christ. They were glad about that. They could be glad and happy, despite that persecution and pain. They rejoiced in the face of death and disaster, by trusting Jesus no matter what.

There is deep and lasting joy in knowing that your sins are forgiven and that you are going to heaven. We have every reason to be happy all the time, no matter what, thanks to Jesus. Though we deserve God's punishment for all of our sins, though we deserve to go to hell for breaking God's commands, such as failing to trust him enough, failing to rejoice in the Lord always, we aren't going to hell, thanks to Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life for us. Jesus died on the cross and paid for our sins. Jesus rose from death with our forgiveness. Here's the good news, "You are forgiven through Christ!" Believe in Jesus, and you will live in heaven forever. There we will be happy and live in a perfect world forever. That's one big reason why we can be happy here.

Another reason is that Jesus is the ruler of the universe. He is in control of all things. He has promised to make everything turn out for our eternal good. So, what do we have to worry about? He's got it all under control. We get ourselves into trouble sometimes because we want to know why things happen the way that they do. Why did so and so die? Why did I get cancer? Why did this happen to me? We should trust in Jesus no matter what. We might not know the reason, but we should trust that Jesus does know the reason. He loves us, he's in control, and he said he would take care of all the details so that we would be in heaven. Trust him, without questioning his wisdom. He knows what he's doing. He knows much more than we do. Rejoice in the Lord always...

2. By giving your anxiety to God in prayer.

Listen again to verse 6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Do not worry. We could translate this: "Stop being anxious." Stop worrying. Worry is a sin. Worry reveals that our faith is too weak. When we are worried and filled with anxiety, we are not trusting Jesus no matter what, are we. I wish I could say that I've mastered this, but I haven't.

We can't sleep. We're stewing over some problem. We're anxious about something coming up the next day. What are we supposed to do when we feel this anxiety? The answer God's Word gives here is: pray! Present your requests to God. Turn your anxiety over to God. The inspired apostle Peter wrote: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7). Take all of that anxiety and all of that worry and throw it on the Lord's lap and say, "handle it, Lord." He will because he cares for you.

Peter knew a little about anxiety. On the outside, he was a tough guy and a big talker. On the inside, there were weaknesses. In the courtyard, anxiety over what people might think led him to deny three times that he knew Jesus. And, remember when Jesus walked on the water? Peter asked Jesus if he could do that too. The Lord invited him to come out and walk on the water, and Peter was doing it for a little while. But then he looked up and saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began to sink. His human reason took over and his faith faltered. But Peter called out to the Lord, "Lord, save me." And Jesus took care of him. Peter did the right thing there. He prayed.

Are you ever anxious? Do you ever feel like the wind and the waves around you are overwhelming? Are you ever worried about what people might think of you? Pray about it. Say, "Lord, save me!" "Lord, help me!" "Lord, take care of it." He will answer that prayer. He will take care of you. Give your anxiety to God in prayer. Say, "Lord, it's too much for me. You handle it." And he will take care of you. The hymn says it so well:

Give your anxiety to God in prayer. But remember to do that "with thanksgiving." Thank God in prayer for the many blessings he has given us. When we call upon the Lord in prayer, and he delivers us, may we not forget to thank and praise him.

May God give us more faith so that we trust Jesus, no matter what, so that we are willing to yield to one another in Christian gentleness and love, so that we give our anxiety to God in prayer. Then we will experience the joy the Lord has won for us. We will enjoy the peace that we have through faith in Jesus, the "peace of God, which transcends all understanding." May God help us all to: Rejoice in the Lord always! Amen.