The virtues rolled out in today’s passage are precious links in a chain of gold: joy and gentleness, prayer and gratitude, freedom from anxiety, and divine peace.

Four of these virtues are expressed as imperatives that are directly relevant to the situation in Philippi and so reflect the main concerns of this letter.

First: Rejoice in the Lord always. This means two things. Be joyful in the Lord in every situation, no matter how difficult or long drawn.

And express your joy to God with one another. This is what we’re supposed to do in church. But we can’t express joy if we don’t have it. Unless we fake it. God forbid.

And we can’t have joy if our relationship with the Lord is lukewarm. Or if we’re seeking our own interests. Or reacting vindictively to those who oppose us. Or quarrelling with some Euodia or Syntyche.

Second: Let your gentle forbearance be known to everyone. Do this both externally among those who oppose you, and internally among those who annoy you.

If you want to stay free and full of joy, practise the meekness and gentleness of Christ. He never returned insult for insult, but entrusted Himself to God even while being tortured (1 Peter 2:23).

Third: Be anxious for nothing. Anxiety or worry solves nothing. It makes everything worse. “Worry is not of the devil. Worry is the devil” (Carl Jung, adapted).

Worry is fear of the future. Prayer is faith in God’s Future. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself” (Matthew 6:34).

Fourth: In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. In every situation, no matter how distressing, calmly present your case to God.

Prayer is God’s answer to anxiety. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything pray. With gratitude. And without grumbling.

“Hell begins with a gripe” (CS Lewis). Heaven begins with gratitude. Give thanks.

Finally, the promise of divine peace: The peace of God … will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

When we practise these virtues individually and together, God’s very own peace will form a maximum-security garrison around our hearts and minds. This will protect and preserve us from everything that would otherwise disturb our peace and steal our joy.

Pray Now

1 Covid-19. The lawless digital universe of malicious bots and bad algorithms proliferating fake news. The world is “entering a protracted period of feeble growth and elevated inflation” (World Bank, June 7, 2022). Rising extremism. Ukraine war. Geopolitical tensions. What a mess!

“Singapore is acutely vulnerable to events even far away, and cannot escape being impacted. The world at large is at a dangerous point of history” (Minister Ng Eng Hen). Pray the Word: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).  

2 Make this our prayerful confession of faith on behalf of Singapore: Humanly speaking, we have every reason to despair. Spiritually speaking, we have every reason to rejoice:

Lord Jesus, You are our Saviour and Sovereign Lord. You are in full control. Therefore, we refuse to recoil in anxiety. By Your grace, we will turn panic into prayer, worry into worship, and fear into faith. No matter who or what assails us, we will keep calm and put our confidence in You alone. As one people called by Your name, we will humble ourselves and pray, seek Your face and turn from our anxious, angsty, and angry ways (2 Chronicles 7:14). We call to mind Your steadfast love, Your unending mercies, Your great faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21-23). We rest in the shadow of Your wings, and Singapore shall be Your citadel of peace (Haggai 2:9).

3 Pray for our young people. Anxiety among them is escalating. Present their case to the Lord. Turn bad news into bold intercession. Ask the Lord to sensitise you to their inner turmoil and hear their muted cries. Let the Spirit travail through you for their shalom, salvation, healing, and destiny.

• Their perennial anxieties are infamous: Grades. Pressure to meet parents’ expectations. Dysfunctional home. Conflicts between divorcing parents. Abuse by parents. Low self esteem. Identity crisis. Peer pressure.
• The pandemic has exacerbated these and other pre-existing anxieties. A survey of 390 students by NUS on the psychological impact of the pandemic and restrictions imposed found that 75% are at risk of depression, 83.3% experience high levels of stress, 50% feel lonely (The Straits Times, March 8, 2022).
• A national study revealed that “about one in three youth has reported internalising mental health symptoms such as sadness, anxiety and loneliness. Those aged 14 to 16 had more serious symptoms” (The Straits Times, May 20, 2022).
• Samaritans of Singapore reported that the “number of suicides among youth aged 10 to 29 hit a record high of 112 cases in 2021”. Compared to 2020, their crisis hotline had a “127% increase in calls from youths aged 10 to 19, expressing a strong cry for help that cannot be ignored” (The Straits Times, July 1, 2022).

4 In a world of cancel-culture anxiety, let your gentle forbearance be known to everyone. May this disposition become a distinguishing mark of Christians in our city. Especially as we engage society on the hot issue of S377A and the moral future of Singapore. May our language of forbearing love and gentle Christlikeness disarm all hostility, turning Singapore Godward.

Follow Salt&Light on Telegram, Facebook or Instagram for more of LoveSingapore’s daily devotions until August 8, 2022.