June 3, 2022 - Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 ESV

Lord, we have so much in our lives worth rejoicing over. Even on our toughest days, life is better than what we deserve. You have given us freedom, love, and hope when we deserved punishment and death. We stumble and make mistakes constantly, yet you constantly offer forgiveness, mercy, and grace to us. How can we not rejoice in that fact? You choose to love us unconditionally. We never have to doubt your faithfulness and trustworthiness. You bring peace to our anxiety. You give us courage for our fear. You meet us where we are lacking and make up the difference and more. You shower your abundant blessings over us. You have adopted us as your sons and daughters. You call us a friend. You are always with us, never leaving us or forsaking us. You comfort us when we grieve and heal our hurts. You put us back together when we are broken. Any one of these things would be enough to rejoice over for all eternity, but you always go above and beyond.

And the blessings don’t stop there…look at all the beauty you created around us for us to enjoy. The feel of the sun on our skin or the refreshing rain that washes everything clean. The flowers that bring such beauty in their shapes, colors, and fragrance. You have placed such amazing sights around us in this vast universe you created for us. You also gave us family and friends to brighten our days. Lord, we have so many reasons to rejoice. Help us lift our eyes today past the to do lists and everything we have to deal with. We want to take a few minutes to take in a deep breath and look into your face. We want to “stop and smell the roses you have placed around us”. Help us see all the blessings you have put in our life. We want to commit to living a lifestyle of rejoicing in you whether on the mountain top or in the valley.

In Jesus name, amen.