One of our sons works for the US State Department, and his position requires him—and his family—to move somewhere in the world every two years. Their current post is in the Philippines. Either my husband and I must travel long distances to see them or wait until they have home leave and can come here to see us. Because our son and family travel such long distances, I always track their flights while they are in the air. As I do so, I pray a prayer asking God for their safekeeping. I taught our five-year-old grandson how to track flights, and together we tracked the flights of family members who traveled here and gave thanks for their safe arrival—and rejoiced.
Paul offers advice to the entire community, and it begins with rejoicing: “Rejoice in the Lord.” Then he suggests that they “let [their] gentleness be known” and “do not worry about anything.” We may consider that third piece of advice the hardest to deal with given our anxiety-producing times. Notice the sentence right before this injunction: “The Lord is near.” So, near to the believer? Near in terms of the second coming? Perhaps both meanings encourage the Philippians not to allow anxiety to consume them. Paul has no doubt about the ultimate outcome of all events.
Paul writes this epistle while in prison. He writes to reassure the people of Philippi that he remains full of joy and confident despite his situation. So we, with our families of origin and families of faith, acknowledge God’s presence, rejoice always, and give thanks. Whether traveling long distances or enduring hardships in life, we rejoice in the fact that God is near, desiring the best for us.