Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! … Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:4,6-7 (NLT)]

“Rejoice!” Paul wrote to the church at Philippi. He wrote these joyful words while awaiting trial in a Roman prison. Rather than feeling defeated during his captivity, Paul used his imprisonment as an opportunity to continue to preach the gospel and spread the joy of God’s word. Instead of being depressed by his situation, he knew how to be satisfied regardless of his situation. In fact, Paul thanked God for his difficult circumstances.

We don’t need to be in prison to be depressed, angry or resentful. There are many times in our lives when things go terribly wrong: a child becomes addicted, a parent suffers a debilitating disease, a friend gets cancer, a job is lost, a business goes bankrupt, the stock market crashes, a marriage fails, or a lawsuit is filed. We need to learn from Paul to “always be full of joy in the Lord” regardless of our circumstances.

Where the soul is full of peace and joy, outward surrounding and circumstances are of comparatively little account. [Hannah Whitall Smith]

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. [Philippians 4:8 (MSG)]