Joy as We Pray

Scripture — Philippians 1:3-6 (NRSV)

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

Devotion

The New Testament letter of Paul to the Philippians is often called “the letter of joy.” Joy is a major theme of this letter. In fact, the words “joy” and “rejoice” occur with more frequency in Philippians than in any other book of the Bible. (Yes, those words occur more often in the Psalms. But when it comes to “Hits per 1000 words,” Philippians wins the game. Joy words occur three times more frequently in Philippians than in the Psalms.)

The first use of “joy” in Paul’s letter comes early in the letter: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now” (vv. 3- 5). Paul doesn’t just feel joy in a general way. Rather, his joy comes as he prays. In particular, it is an emotional ingredient of his gratitude for the Philippians as he remembers their “sharing in the gospel.” They did this sharing, not only through their witness and prayers, but also by entering into a financial partnership with Paul, helping to fund his ministry (see 4:15-16). In this way, Paul’s relationship with the Philippian church was unique.

What strikes me about this passage is the connection between joy and prayer. It seems that Paul felt joy, not only when thinking about the Philippians, but also and especially when he prayed for them. As he shared with the Lord his memories of the Philippians, Paul’s heart gushed with overflowing joy.

What Paul relates in this passage is something we often experience as well. I know this is true for me. When I pray, especially when offering prayers of gratitude, my heart is more open, more available, more tender. For me, prayer is one of the most powerful ways to stir up and express joy.

In a recent article for the De Pree Center’s Third Third Life newsletter, I shared an example of one way my prayers lead to joy. In case you missed that article, I’m going to retell the story here, below.
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About 20 years ago, it occurred to me that my celebration of Thanksgiving was sometimes inadequately thankful. So, I tried an experiment. Getting up extra early on Thanksgiving morning, I grabbed a mug of coffee and sat quietly at a table with my journal in front of me. I asked the Lord to help me do something I had never done before, namely, to make a list of all things I was grateful for in the last year.
I began with obvious things, like salvation in Christ, God’s gracious forgiveness, the gifts of my wife and children, and so forth. Before long, my list was substantial. Then I started thinking in categories, like the people in my life or the events of the past year. Then I remembered people from my past, authors who had influenced me, etc.
I kept on writing for at least an hour. As I did, I often thought, “I have never before thanked God for this. It’s about time!” Sometimes I found myself unexpectedly weeping with gratitude as I remembered how much someone had meant to me. By the end of my list-making time, I felt both joyful and exhausted. I was so glad for what I had experienced and resolved to do it every year.
Now, let me say that for some of you, early on Thanksgiving Day is not the ideal time for this exercise. Perhaps you need to focus on preparing dinner. Or maybe you really need some extra sleep. So, you certainly don’t have to imitate my timing. But I would encourage you to find an hour somewhere around Thanksgiving Day to record your yearly gratitude. I promise it will make a big difference in your life, including your joyfulness.
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As I re-read what I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it occurs to me that I didn’t make it clear in that article that my journaling is a way of praying. For example, when I write down the name of someone for whom I’m thankful, I pray, “Thank you, Lord, for Linda. Thank you for Nathan. Thank you for Kara.” And so forth. As I pray in this way, I experience more joy than I do in almost any other time of the year. Prayer unlocks my heart and leads to unusual, major joy.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The One Who Began a Good Work Among You Will Bring it to Completion (Philippians 1:1–26).