Philippians 4:4-6 — Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Paul was a prisoner, dependent on friends for charity, with no Christian companion, with — to put it mildly — no certain view of his future beyond the knowledge that he was being poured out as a drink offering! So was he downhearted? Not much! In fact his advice to his beloved Philippians was to rejoice, and rejoice, and rejoice! How did he do that? How are we supposed to do that?
I’ve known two people, slightly, in my life who were full of joy. Both of them, in fact, seemed to be living closer to heaven than to earth. You might not, perhaps, be surprised to know that both of them — though widely separated in age — were close to the end of Spirit-filled Christian lives. But still, how did they do it?
I live my daily life, and anyone who reads these pieces regularly knows that I get down from time to time.
How am I supposed to rise above anxiety and depression? How do I do that?
Paul actually provided the recipe for joyful living. First, he said, let the world know who you are, and let “who you are” be the kind of person that everyone knows to be reasonable. Don’t be the kind of person that always wants everything they’re entitled to. You can never be joyful if you’re always scrabbling for everything you deserve.
Next, Paul says, remember the end game. The Lord is at hand. Jesus is coming soon. Whatever you’re dealing with now, your reward is coming soon.
Then, Paul says, “Don’t fret, don’t worry. There’s nothing you can do about the things your busy caring so much about. Pass them on to someone who can do something.”
God will take care of you, but make sure you ask properly. Make your requests part of worship, and make you worship thankful.
Now if you’re like me you’re not nearly as good at applying Paul’s recipe as he was. You might even say that it was easy for him, having seen Jesus, having performed miracles, being supported by his Christian community. It wasn’t that way at all. In fact he had it tough all the time, and most of his friends abandoned him. But I think he practiced being joyful. In just the same way as we are to be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit, I believe we are to be constantly being filled with joy. I think Paul practiced until He got it right, and so should we!