Philippians 1:18-20 – Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed.
A man who loved his wife dearly saw her overtaken with cancer at a young age. Today, as a single father raising their children, he gave a testimony that the final year of life with his wife of two decades was their best year together, and that he was very honored that God gave him the honor of “walking her Home”. This man loved his wife dearly, missed her greatly, and had joy supernaturally.
Many people, under the same circumstances, would be angry at God, trapped in a pit of self-pity, or simply broken beyond repair, unable to move forward in life. In his testimony, this man gave three things that sustained him through their suffering. These are curiously the same three things that the Apostle Paul reveals are sustaining him as he is chained to a Roman soldier, wrongly under arrest, and unsure if his deliverance will be from jail or this life. Here are those three things you need to make it through any day:
- You need to find someone or something in which to “rejoice”. You need to cultivate an intentional attitude of gratitude, seeking God’s grace in your life like a motivated kid on an Easter egg hunt, so that you will not lose hope.
- You need lots of “prayers” for people you love, and from people you love. The shortest distance between two people is prayer.
- You need “the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” to empower you to endure whatever you need to manifest the character of Christ on both the good days and the bad ones.
Which of these three are you strongest in? Which are you weakest in?