Anything Important Bears Repeating
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4
The classic description of God found is the Scriptures first in Exodus 34:6. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” says the Lord Himself to Moses. At least six other times through the Psalms and the Prophets, God is described in this way. Anything that is truly important bears repeating. Therefore, repeatedly God is described in terms of His mercy, grace and love to His people throughout the generations. It is truly worth repeating.
To the Thessalonians, St. Paul would encourage them to rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances. He expresses the same idea to the Philippians, but with repetition to make his point. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” At times, the people of God need to be reminded to rejoice. Even though every good and perfect gift comes from above, we get so distracted by the things of this world that our lips remain closed and our mouths do not declare God’s praise. However, as St. Paul encourages them to repeatedly rejoice, He also assures them that the Lord is at hand and that we face the things of this life by prayer and supplication to God.
This means that we can rejoice always, even when many are hurting because of the destruction of the storms last weekend. We can rejoice always, even when a pandemic continues to cause sickness and death. We can rejoice because our good and gracious God is at hand, and He hears our prayers and our petitions on behalf of ourselves and others. It is good for us to be reminded to rejoice because our Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. It bears repeating!
Prayer - Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Fraternally in Christ,
President Lee Hagan
The Missouri District is committed to walking with congregations and families within our state that have been impacted by last weekend’s storms. We invite all of you to join in these disaster relief efforts through prayer and giving. Donations can be sent to the Missouri District office or made online at https://mo.lcms.org/donate/. Any funds that are received over and above the need for assisting these congregations will be sent the Mid-South District to aid in their relief efforts in Western Kentucky. Should you have any questions, please reach out to the District office at 314-590-6200. Thank you for your support!