Last week we looked at a simple idea from Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “forgetting what lies behind.” We spent a lot of time on the regrettable things, because those can really drag us down. But Paul wasn’t only setting aside what he wished he hadn’t done. He was also setting aside his accolades, his advancement, his trophies. The bad and the good of his former life. 

As we consider Philippians 4:4–13 in this post, we concentrate on the other side of the forgetting: “straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). 

But there’s a funny thing that doesn’t seem to line up. Paul says he presses forward, and then he tells us he has learned the secret of being content in every situation (Philippians 4:11-12). Pressing forward and being content can sound like opposites, but Paul is going to make the whole thing clear for us. 

Remember What Paul Has Been Through 

Before we get to great verses like “rejoice always,” you need to know that Paul wrote Philippians from prison. And prison may have seemed easy compared to some of the other things that happened to Paul. In 2 Corinthians he lists what he’s been through: 

“Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea” (2 Corinthians 11:24–25). 

Paul isn’t a guy who spent his life in ease and luxury telling us, “Listen, you’ve got to be content, man.” As we explore what Paul writes about rejoicing, contentment, and the rest, remember who he is and what he’s been through. 

Just before the passage we are looking at, Paul lays the foundation for what he’s about to write: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We are waiting. “Therefore,” Paul says, “stand firm thus in the Lord” (4:1), because the Lord we’re waiting for is coming back. 

So pressing forward means living while we wait for Christ. And as we consider what pressing forward looks like for Paul, notice that the things he mentions aren’t so much goals to accomplish as ways to move through our days. 

Rejoice, and Be Gentle 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (4:4). Remember that Paul writes this from prison. Strength that grows out of joy has always been God's way: “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Now Paul reminds us we’re waiting for Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. So rejoice! I’ll say it again. Rejoice! 

Paul continues describing how we are moving through life as we wait: “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” (4:5). Some translations say gentleness. Pressing forward shows up in the way we treat the people around us. And why can we be gentle and reasonable with everybody? Because the Lord is at hand. He’s coming back to take us home, and he’s also with us now. Jesus promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). So you don’t have to get all worked up. You don’t have to control the situation or manipulate the outcome. 

Do you believe the Lord is at hand or not? That’s the question. 

Don’t Be Anxious 

Next Paul says, “do not be anxious about anything.” That would be a pretty rough command if he didn’t tell us how to do it. There’s an old Bob Newhart sketch where he plays a therapist. A woman describes her problem, and his entire treatment is two words: “Stop it.” Not very helpful. 

Paul doesn’t do that to us. He lets us know how to give up that anxiety. Thank you, Paul! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (4:6). 

Anxiety happens when we live without God in our present, or we don’t think about God in our future. Paul reminds us the Lord is at hand right now. Then he gives us the result, and it’s the opposite of anxiety: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:7). You do the praying. God does the guarding. 

Let Your Requests Be Made Known to God 

Notice that phrase. Don’t just suck it up. Don’t clam up because you think you probably shouldn’t want the thing you want. 

Have you ever gotten mad at someone for not doing something you never actually asked them to do? You just thought they ought to know. Most of us have been upset over an expectation we never voiced. 

I’m not saying God doesn’t know what you need. But Jesus compares God to a father for a good reason. Sometimes parents know exactly what their kids need, and they wait for the child to ask, because the child needs to learn to ask. Supplication means speaking to God from a place of need, and thanksgiving is gratitude. Make that a habit, for things big and small. 

I’m not telling you you’ll get everything you pray for. I am telling you, and plenty of people I know would say the same, that when you let your requests be made known to God, sometimes you see the answer. It really happens. 

Something bigger and more profound happens, too. When you purposely take something important to you and lay it at Jesus’ feet, using actual words, that is an act of faith and trust. Your faith grows, and the peace of God guards your heart and mind. That doesn’t mean everything goes the way you want. It means a peace settles on you, a peace beyond understanding given your circumstances. But it is real. 

Direct Your Thoughts Toward These Things 

In last week’s post I wrote that in the Bible forgetting doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t remember what you did. It often means you purposefully aren’t calling it to mind or letting it drive the bus. 

Psychologists tell us it’s hard to simply extinguish a thought or a behavior. It’s easier to replace it. Unsurprisingly, the Bible is full of good psychology. Paul doesn’t only tell us what not to think about. He tells us what to think about: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable… think about these things” (4:8). It’s the same discipline in both directions. I choose not to dwell on what I wish I hadn’t done. I choose not to rest on whatever trophies I’m carrying. I choose to think about what is true and lovely instead. 

Paul says to practice what we’ve seen in him, “and the God of peace will be with you” (4:9). Sometimes in life there’s a lot to be unpeaceful about, from family situations to hot wars. You know intellectually that God is already with you, because he never leaves you. But if you practice these things, you will know it in your heart.  

Content in Whatever Comes 

Peace and contentment are kind of brothers. Paul writes, “I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content… I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (4:11–12). Think back to that list from 2 Corinthians. I’m sure Paul spent plenty of time in prayer and supplication, and that’s why he’s content. He had entrusted everything to God. 

Then comes the verse so many of us know: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (4:13). It doesn’t mean I can get done whatever I want. It means I can endure whatever the Lord allows in my path, because I’ve left it with God and his peace is guarding my heart and mind. 

So we forget what lies behind, and we don’t let our regrets or our trophies steer where we’re going. We think about whatever is true and lovely. And whatever is going on, we bring our requests to God, because the Lord is at hand, and “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (4:19). 

That’s how we press forward. So pray, and actually tell him what you need. The peace that passes understanding is his promise, and you’ll experience it as you do it.