Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 8
Family Discussions for a New School Year
Loneliness can strike even when we’re surrounded by people; however, knowing we’re not alone can fill us with great joy!
*This is DAY 8. For previous posts, click here.
DAY 8/FRI.-SAT.
Philippians 1:3-6
Always Pray with Joy
“I thank my God every time I remember you.
Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV)
4In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy
5because of your partnership in the gospel
from the first day until now,
6being confident of this,
that He who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.”
On DAY 6 & DAY 7, we saw that the apostle Paul prayed a lot of prayers for a lot of people.
Today we see Paul not only prayed a lot for a lot of people, but he also prayed for them with joy.
Q & A
| Q: Why does Paul pray with joy for the Philippian believers? |
| A: They have been partners with him “in the gospel from the first day until now.” |
Do you have any partners in the gospel?
Many of us confess to feeling lonely. You can feel lonely in a crowd, in a small group or classroom, or in your own home with your family. This is because loneliness is not just physical.
- Ever feel misunderstood, even by those closest to you?
- Ever think, “I’m the only one who…” fill-in-the-blank.
Because the culture we’re living in is becoming increasingly secular (taking the God of the Bible out of everything), it’s becoming easier to feel lonely in our faith.
Elijah Felt Lonely.
The Old Testament prophet Elijah, famous for calling down the fire of God on a mountaintop and defeating the prophets of the false god Baal, felt lonely. Many times in his life Elijah was alone physically, but what seemed to hurt him more was feeling alone in his faith.
During that famous mountaintop showdown,
“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow Him.’”
But the people said nothing.
22Then Elijah said to them, ‘I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.'”
I Kings 18:21-22 (NIV)
Elijah was the only one speaking up for the true God!
“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at Your command. 37Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that You, Lord, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.’
38Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God!'”
I Kings 18:36-39 (NIV)
Elijah was not alone — God was with him; yet, Elijah still longed to be with earthly friends who shared his faith.
Read the next part of Elijah’s story below to see what happened.
When Elijah’s life was threatened, he ran away alone.
“Now [evil King] Ahab told [evil Queen] Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets (of Baal) with the sword. 2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.’
3Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.”
I Kings 19:1-5 (NIV)
Elijah was alone, but God provided for his needs.
“All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ 6He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’ 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.”
I Kings 19:5,6-9 (NIV)
When Elijah was alone, God showed up & spoke softly.
“And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
10He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’
11The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”
I Kings 19:9,10-13 (NIV)
God instructs & corrects Elijah, & has a plan for his safety.
“Then a Voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
14He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’
15The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.'”
I Kings 19:13,14-18 (NIV)
God provides a coworker in the faith.
“So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,’ he said, ‘and then I will come with you.’
‘Go back,’ Elijah replied. ‘What have I done to you?’
21So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.”
I Kings 19:19-21 (NIV)
Elijah may have felt lonely, but he was never alone! God took care of him through everything and was with Elijah the whole time. Even though God was all Elijah needed, God still blessed him with a friend in the faith, Elisha, who would serve the Lord with him and succeed him as the next great prophet of Israel.
Notice that I Kings 19:18 said, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Elijah had said, “I am the only one left,” yet there were 7,000 people who were also faithful to God.
*Click here to read I Kings 19 in the NIrV, NLT, & ESV.
You are not alone in your faith.
Like Elijah, you are not alone in your faith. There are gospel partners in your life, people who genuinely share your faith in churches, schools, teams, clubs, organizations, businesses, and families throughout your community. They may not know God as well as you do, or they may know Him better than you, but they are partners with you in the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ our Lord & Savior.
The next time you go to church, remind yourself that you are in a place with others who share your faith. This means you are not alone! Are all of them BFF material? No. So what? You are not alone. This fact can fill you with joy if you let it.
Try this.
When you’re singing in a worship service, intentionally listen out for the voices singing around you. Maybe sit in a location where you can see a lot of people. Bask in the truth that these are some of your brothers- and sisters-in-Christ lifting their voices in praise to the same God you serve! You may or may not know them, at least not very well (yet), but they are with you, and you are with them — you share faith in Christ! You are not alone. What joy that thought can bring!
DAY 8/FRI.-SAT. Prayer
Father God,
Teach us to pray with joy for our fellow believers, for our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ. Make us more thankful for them day by day; let us not be distracted by feelings of loneliness, but cling to the truth that You are with us always and we are not serving You alone.
We pray for good, Christian friendships for each member of our family. Grow us into good, Christian friends for others. During those times where we don’t have close friendships with believers, draw us closer in relationship with You, that we may learn to cling to You, our God & Father & truest Friend.
Thank You that we are not alone! Fill us with the joy that flows from a thankful heart.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
DAY 8: Paul prayed a lot of prayers for a lot of people, and he prayed them with joy.