Well, happy midweek, Redeemer.
Just a few minutes in the middle of the week for us to have our Bible chat devotional coming from the book of Philippians that we've been making our way through very slowly, just a few minutes in the middle of the week each week.
And so we're in Philippians chapter one.
If we remember, Paul is sitting in prison in Rome when he's writing this letter, and yet in this letter, he's writing more about joy than in any of his other letters.
What an amazing thing for us just to reflect on right away and to remember that in the midst of circumstances that are dire and circumstances that feel so difficult, he's writing more and more about joy.
Not only that, but he's writing to a group of people that are dealing with incredibly difficult issues.
So this Philippian church, they're arguing, the leaders are having a difficult time.
There's just a lot of nasty, heartbreaking division.
What a tough season Paul is in.
What a tough season the Philippians are in, and yet they are writing and reflecting and pondering on joy.
What a tough season we have been in.
What a tough season you have been in the last seven weeks of coronavirus, quarantine, shelter in place.
Society is reopening, but perhaps you are easing back in.
Perhaps you are not able to even ease back in because of your situation.
How easy it is for us to feel stuck.
Not only in this season of coronavirus, it's easy for us to feel stuck in our hearts when we're not developing spiritually as we thought we would.
The things that plague us still plague us.
Perhaps in a relationship, it's easy to feel stuck in a marriage, in a family with your children, that the relationship, that other person just isn't improving like you wanted them to.
The relationship is not where you wanted to be.
You are not where you want to be.
It's so easy to feel stuck.
Now, the interesting thing about this is that Paul certainly could feel incredibly stuck while he's sitting in prison.
And it would be so easy for us to just move straight into doing something and doing more and getting busy.
But Paul does not just put these people straight to work when he writes to them.
He helps them to know something, to understand something in their hearts before they are moved into action.
So here Philippians 1, verses 12 and 14 through 14, just uh just three verses here in the middle of the week.
I want you to know, brothers, and we can say brothers and sisters as to the church.
I want you to know that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ, and most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
So this guy, Paul, is imprisoned, and he's saying, I'm seeing some good things in this.
These guards that are around me, they're understanding something.
They know why I'm here.
They're understanding there is a treasure worth more than circumstance and comfort.
These guards are learning something.
There's preachers out in the towns that are encouraged because of the faith and because of what I'm going through.
This is what Paul is saying.
And Paul is saying, I'm seeing all of that in the quietness of being stuck.
You see, if we get slow enough, a lot of times we begin to see things that we were missing.
And that's where I think this season can come in such a gift for us.
I went back and began to ponder a few questions that I wrote out in a sermon a few weeks ago.
I I think they have to do with this text and they have to do with this concept of us understanding and seeing and growing in our awareness of what God is doing around us and in us in the times of feeling and being stuck.
And here's a few questions.
Three questions.
This is the end of this short devotional this week.
Three questions.
Number one God, in what ways do I rely on circumstances for my joy and peace more than you?
That might be worthy for some reflection for us, some prayer, some quietness.
That first question, God, in what ways do I rely on circumstance for my joy and peace more than you?
That leads us into our second question.
God, in the slowness of the past seven weeks of shelter in place, what did you teach me?
Oh, that would be such a great question to ask because a lot of times we can be learning lessons but never stop to ponder and reflect on them.
But that question, and maybe with a journal, could be so helpful.
God, in the slowness of the past seven weeks of shelter in place, what did you teach me?
What was going on in my heart?
And the last question, which is reminding us of our belovedness, no matter how we have handled these last seven weeks or no matter how we feel today, God, how might I quiet my soul in increasing ways that I might see your move?
Remember my belovedness and know your peace?
Now that's a long question.
It it begins with this question of God, how can I quiet my soul more?
How can I do that?
How can that be a part of my life, a rhythm in my life?
How can I quiet my soul in increasing ways?
Why?
So I might see your move.
What are you what are you doing?
What are you doing in my heart?
What are you doing in my life?
What are you doing in my family, my friends, my work?
What are you doing?
But also that you might remember your belovedness, because if you're not remembering that, you're going to be more frantic than any stuckness you could ever feel.
And in that remembering of your belovedness and in that quiet, that you might know peace.
Church, grace and peace to you.
Have a great week.