Philippians is my favorite book of the Bible. If I was stranded on a desert island with only one book of the Bible, Philippians would be my choice. It never ceases to amaze me how much is packed in its four chapters.
I have been working through two studies of Philippians simultaneously the last two months: Karen Ehman's "What Matters Most" and "Frappe with Philippians" by Sandra Glahn. Both of them have brought such depth to Philippians 3:1, "Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!"
The Greek word for "rejoice" is "chairo", which Strong's concordance defines as "be glad or properly, to delight in God's grace." It further states the root word for rejoice is the same as grace (charis). Charis not only means "favor", but a "leaning toward to share benefit. Essentially, rejoice means to "be glad for grace and lean towards it." When we "rejoice in the Lord," we lean into Christ and wholly depend on Him.
In Karen Ehman's study, she asked us to look up a number of verses about rejoicing and what it means. They included Ps. 5:11, Ps. 16:11, Ps. 21:6, Ps. 32:7, Ps. 34:5, Ps. 51:12, Ps. 59:16, and Romans 5:10-11. I further examined I Chronicles 16:10-11, Ps. 2:11, Ps. 13:5, Ps. 34:2, Ps. 105:3, Ps. 119:14, Ps. 119:162, Romans 5:2-3, 1 Peter 4:13. For me, these verses defined the pathway to rejoicing, the actions through which we can be "glad for grace". This poem is to remind me what "rejoicing in the Lord" truly looks like.
Through seeking
Through finding
Through hoping
Through trusting
Through following
Through loving
Through abiding
Through participating
Through delighting
Through boasting
Through suffering
Through trembling
Through worshipping
Through everything
This is the pathway
Of rejoicing.