Philippians
4:1-9
The anthem this morning, It Is Well with My Soul, played by Donna
Rehorn is one of my favorite hymns. I
find the somber and peaceful tune together with the words deeply moving. No
doubt part of the power of that song flows from the circumstances from which it
was created.
Horatio Gates Spafford, was a successful
lawyer and Presbyterian church elder in the late 1800’s. His wife, Anna, and he
had five children at the time, one boy and four girls. However, when their son
was only four years old he died of an illness. As the family was dealing with
that loss, only months later, a large part of Horatio’s fortune went up in
flames in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Seeking rest and solace, the family
planned a trip to Europe. But because of a last minute business development,
Horatio stayed behind sending his wife and daughters to sail on ahead. On the
fourth day of that voyage the ship collided with another vessel and sank. Most
of the passengers went down with the ship, including Horatio’s four daughters.
Only his wife, Anna, survived.
Upon hearing the devastating news,
Horatio set sail to join his grieving wife. And on that journey across the
Atlantic as his ship passed near where his daughters had died he was inspired
to write these words:
When
peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When
sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever
my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It
is well, it is well, with my soul.
How does someone do that? In the midst of
such suffering how can someone be able to proclaim, It is well, it is well, with my soul?
Let’s hold onto that as we turn to our
reading from Philippians where something similar is going on. The apostle Paul
has been living amongst the horrors of a Roman prison. His life is literally in
the hands of a brutal and corrupt regime. Yet he writes about joy. His own and
the joy that is available to all of us.
But let’s be clear, the joy that Paul is
talking about here is a completely different animal than having fun or being
happy. Paul’s life is not fun. It’s not happy. So where is the joy? What is it
that Paul could find to rejoice in? Well, he tells us it is the experience that
the Lord is near. The Lord is near to him in prison. The Lord is near to the
recipients of his letter hundreds of miles away. The Lord is near to us. Real
and lasting joy comes from the confidence of knowing that no matter where we
are or what is happening we are inseparably connected to God, grounded in Love. And that has the power to make any soul
well.
Rejoice in the Lord always,
Paul writes, and again I will say,
Rejoice! This isn’t about faking it - putting on a happy face when you’re
crumbling inside. It’s about holding two realities in view at the same time.
Acknowledging the immediate reality of a world that is fraught with struggle
and pain while, at the same time, knowing that another just as real reality
exists. God’s reality of love, hope, peace, mercy. A reality that is both
already here and still drawing near.
Which all sounds really good to me, but
at times can be quite difficult to pull off. Because I don’t know about you,
but sometimes I can be swamped by the fear, anxiety, and pain of this world to
the point where that’s the only reality that I can see. But that’s maybe the
point. That we don’t do this alone. The Lord is near - near in Spirit and near
through people. And if we want to be in touch with the joy of that nearness
then, Paul explains, that we would do well in developing certain habits of the
heart - regularly connecting to God. Pouring everything out, the good, the bad,
the ugly in prayer. While also engaging in certain habits of the mind - that
is, to intentionally bring into focus and think about things that are good,
that are true, that are noble. Cultivating such habits of the heart and mind
gives God’s Holy Spirit some space to work in us so that we can be more fully
in touch with a reality that sometimes seems hidden but is no less real or
true. The Lord of love is always, always near.
That is why Paul is able to rejoice. That
is why we can rejoice too. And that is why, I suspect, Horatio Spafford was
able to give voice to a reality of joy that was clearly not tied to his present
circumstances. Whatever my lot thou has
taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. May your soul be
well - this day and always.
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