When I am going through a difficult situation, my #1 response is “I want this to be done.” It could be when I am out on a four mile run. I want it to be done. It could be a big project, like my forthcoming book. I want it to be done. It could be grading papers for a class I’m teaching. I really want that to be done. Know the feeling? If so, I think you are a totally normal human being.
I am not saying that I totally hate running, writing or teaching. I don’t even hate grading papers. Grading gives me an opportunity to invest in the lives of students, and I enjoy that. But in those tasks, I believe it is normal to desire the feeling of hard work, pain, or burden to be done. There are also much more traumatic situations in life that we can strongly desire to put in the past. Health scares, job loss, financial woes, broken relationships, and more. Of course, we want them to be done.
The Apostle Paul was in one of those traumatic situations. In the previous post we learned how the apostle Paul was beaten and jailed, and yet he rejoiced. How was Paul able to rejoice having just endured trauma? We’re about to find out.
Today we turn to a letter Paul wrote from house arrest in Rome to his friends in the city of Philippi, where he had previously been in prison. In the letter we will observe as Paul just keeps rejoicing, and he will explain how and why.
In Philippians 1, notice what he says in verse 3–6:
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Paul is filled with joy when he thinks of his friends in Philippi. Which people in your life fill you with joy just by thinking about them? Family members? Friends? Simply the memory of loved ones can fill us with joy. I think about my kids and grandkids, and I feel near immediate joy. Paul reminds us that though we are suffering, we can direct our thoughts to joy.
In verse 12, Paul continues, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
Paul is giving us a glimpse in what his life is like on house arrest. Though he is physically unable to travel, his missionary work has continued and thrived. He proclaims Jesus to everyone around him, whether Roman guards or the Christians who come to see him. As a result, people have grown in their faith, and they are more bold in talking about Jesus. Again Paul can experience joy by looking up, away from his difficult circumstances, to the good that results from his circumstances.
In verse 15 he has more to say about what has been happening to him, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.”
Woah. People are preaching Christ out of selfish motivation? Paul should be very upset at that. Paul should tell those selfish preachers to stop. Instead, what does Paul conclude? Look at verse 18, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
There’s joy again.
Twice now, in Philippians 1, Paul has mentioned joy, and both times the joy is the midst of difficulty. First, even though he is in prison, he has joy when he remembers and prays for his friends in Philippi. Second, even though people are preaching Christ selfishly, hoping to harm Paul, he rejoices because Christ is preached!
Paul views life through the lens of joy!
Joy, in other words, is not dependent on circumstances. But what is this joy? The word Paul uses is easy for us English-speakers to remember. It is the Greek word kara. It is where we get our English name Kara. If you know someone named Kara, their names means “joy”. More precisely, though, kara refers to a state of happiness and well-being. In some languages, one scholar notes, the concept is conveyed with a word picture like, “‘my heart is dancing’ or ‘my heart shouts because I am happy.’[1]
My guess is that you are experiencing at least some minor difficult circumstances. You might be dealing with extreme pain and trauma. How have your circumstances affected you? Is your heart dancing? Is your heart shouting for joy?
In the middle of difficult circumstances, it can feel impossible to be joyful. In the next post, we’ll talk about that. Paul seems to suggest that it is possible to be joyful in the middle of difficulty. Is he right?
[1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 301.
Photo by Erika Fletcher on Unsplash
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