4. The Power of Joy In The Prison Of Pain in Philippians (part3)

         Cultivate In Us Prayers Pleasure v.4

            Requesting for Others

Affirming    Always in every prayer of mine

for you all making request with joy

Affirmation is the supporting encouragement that we are connecting with a solution.  We need to daily look face to face into the powerful reality that God responds to every prayer.  We have perfect access into the most meaningful relationship of all relationships. 

Our God is infinitely concerned, individually compassionate, and He is our immensely considerate Lord and Savior.  Jesus is intricately connected with everything that takes place in each minute detail, and every moment-to-moment aspect of our personal history.  He is all encompassing, right down to the microscopic hairs of our head.    

When things turn upside down in our lives and the lives of those around us, it’s not a strange mistake.  Our God is not passive and inactive, it’s not as if He just merely use a bad situation for good.

Nothing is arbitrary or random.  He’s not stunned or alarmed with each turn of events.  Our condition, position and setting in life are not a surprise, nor is it, some kind of shocking bombshell to God.  We waste a lot of energy wandering through life acting insecure, fearful and stressed out.    

God is Sovereign, Jesus is Lord and the Spirit is active and dynamically vigorous in every setting and detail doing the good pleasure of His will. 

Phil. 2:13 for it is God that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. 

Eph.1:5 God has predestinated us according to the good pleasure of His will . 

He’s not just allowing what occurs, but ordaining everything for His glory.  Nothing is allowed to happen, it is deliberate, designed, premeditated and planned.  

In the parable of Matt. 20:15, which is about work and wages being doled out and the amount of time being invested with our duties and talents, The Master poignantly asks the question:

“Is your eye evil (or are you coping an attitude of resentment) because I am Good?”  The issue is, does God do everything right?

God’s good pleasure is what makes Him pleased, it’s what gratifies Him and gives Him joy.  Many things that come our way bring us sorrow and pain.  But if the Joy of the Lord is our strength, then what gives God joy should be what gives us joy and transforms our pain to the power of joy.   

PERSISTENCE   Always

PARAMETER     in every prayer

PERSONALITY  of mine

PEOPLE                for you all

PLEA                      making request

PLEASURE          with joy

The first followers of Jesus were persistent and determined in four activities centering their joy.

The Acts 2:42 and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

As has been said:

THEY HAD TENACITY  they continued steadfastly

THEY HAD TRUTH        in the apostles’ doctrine

THEY HAD TIES              and fellowship

THEY HAD A TABLE     and in breaking of bread

THEY HAD A THRONE and in prayers

Peter quotes David in his message to the people in Jerusalem. 

In Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You make me full of joy with Your countenance.

FACTS        You have made known to me

FAITH        the ways of life

FEELING  You make me full of joy

FACE           with Your countenance

When we find ourselves in the prison of pain the power of joy is found in adjusting our perspectives with the facts.  Since we lack wisdom and are saturated with our own stymied brain paths that thwart us with predictable patters in pain we need to see things from God’s perspective.  He’s the only one who can make known to us the reasons for each frustration.  Our ways are not His ways so we need His constant enhancement into the ways of life.  When the Lord gives us the facts and stimulates our faith our feeling will change from pain to pleasure as He makes us full of joy with His face. 

We have to continue steadfastly, be persistent daily, continue in His Word and His truth will set us free. 

The followers of Jesus were insistent and unrelenting in staying close to Christ.

Acts 6:4 we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 

When someone was trapped in the prison of pain they prayed without ceasing.

Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

INCESSANTLY     give our selves continually to prayer

INQUISITIVELY  and to the ministry of the word.

INTENSITY            but prayer was made without ceasing