Standing Firm In Troubled Times

Dr. John MacArthur

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Maintaining your spiritual equilibrium in today’s world is a challenge. But that is precisely what was on Paul’s mind in Philippians 4:1. “Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” 

Standing firm in a shaky world—that’s what the Bible enjoins us to do. Why? Because life is filled with trouble! It’s not just events on the national or world scene that rattle us. Often it’s those events on a more personal scale that shake us loose. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “Be steadfast and immovable” (1 Cor 15:58). James exhorts his readers against being “a double minded man, unstable in all his ways” (1:8). And Peter writes that God desires to “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish” believers (I Pet 5:10). 

Standing firm is a worthy representation of the gospel (Phil 1:27)! If Jesus Christ is your rock, the cornerstone on whom you stand, and if the in-dwelling Spirit of God empowers you and gives victory over every trouble, then you ought to demonstrate those things in the storms of life. That’s what Scripture indicates. And that’s what Paul tells us how to do in Philippians 4:4-8.

Maintain a Spirit of Joy 

To stand firm, one must maintain a spirit of joy. No matter what happens, “rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice” (4:4). The Philippians were experiencing many terrifying things. Enemies were producing conflict (1:30). They were living in a very hostile environment, “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (2:15). That’s why Paul exhorted them to stand firm. Their circumstances were not unlike our own, where the gospel was despised and believers were equally despised and persecuted. Yet repeatedly throughout this epistle, sixteen times, Paul says, “rejoice!” Seventy times in the New Testament we are told to rejoice, always with the emphasis to rejoice in the Lord, not in the trouble. You can’t rejoice in the trial. But spiritual stability will come to a person who is constantly rejoicing in the Lord.

What does that mean? It means to rejoice in what the Lord provides—everything for which we have been blessed in Christ (Eph 1:3-14). We’ve been chosen before the foundation of the world, predestined to be adopted as sons through Christ, designed by God to fulfill His intention that we be to the praise of His glory forever, recipients of His redemption, the forgiveness of sin, the eternal riches of His grace, an inheritance established for us before time began, the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance, and much more!

“If Jesus Christ is your rock, the cornerstone on whom you stand, and if the indwelling Spirit of God empowers you and gives victory over every trouble, then you ought to demonstrate those things in the storms of life.”

Everything we have in Christ should be enough to give us joy, no matter what the difficulty. Our joy should be unspeakable and full of glory. No matter what we need, His riches are sufficient to meet that need (4:19). As members of "a kingdom that cannot be shaken" (Heb 12:28), we are commanded to maintain a spirit of joy in Christ, no matter what our trials may be.

Learn to Accept Less Than You Are Due 

Paul adds, “Let your forbearing spirit be made known to all men” (4:5). Because “forbearance” doesn’t really have an English equivalent, the word “spirit” has been added. Some have translated this word “sweet reasonableness,” “big heartedness,” “good will,” or “patient indulgence.” The word suggests a humility that is able to submit to any injustice—any disgrace, mistreatment, disappointment, or loss~2iwith no animosity, bitterness, or anger. It is the purest kind of graciousness. “Let your graciousness be known to all men” simply means that all should see that you possess this humility. It’s not reserved for certain people or certain occasions. Rather, it should be the same everywhere—in the church, in the home, and at work. What it really means is that you are humble enough to take less than you are due. You seek nothing for yourself So when the worst comes you can’t be knocked off your feet because of your sweet disposition of graciousness.

Rest in Faith on the Lord 

Back to verse 5: “The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing.” These two thoughts belong in the same verse. “The Lord is near” is not suggesting that His second coming is imminent, but simply that the Lord is present. Psalm 31:1-5, quoted by Jesus in His own crucifixion, speaks of an attitude that rests confidently in faith on the Lord. Whatever the trial, my strength, my refuge, my shield, my deliverance, my rock is found in my God! 

Psalm 57 has an equally wonderful testimony from the Psalmist to this trust:

“The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing.” In other words, “don’t worry.” Worry is a form of unconscious blasphemy! Take no thought, Jesus said, for your life—what you shall eat or drink—for your heavenly Father knows all about that (Matt 6:25-32).

Commit Your Problems to the Lord in Thankful Prayer 

Paul continues in verse 6: “In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” No matter what your problem is, “in everything” covers it! Take it to God, with a thankful heart—thankful that the purpose of God will always be fulfilled, thankful for the providence of God by which He fulfills it, and thankful for the promise of God that all things work together for good (Rom 8:28). At the same time, always remembering that this should be our way of life, as Colossians 4:2 states, “keep an attitude of thanksgiving in everything.”

Focus on Godly Virtues 

All of the negative things that come into our lives—trials, temptations, illnesses, disappointments—are limited to this life. That’s why Paul in Romans 8 longs for the redemption of the body, when the negative things of life are over. So while your body and earthly environment is being hammered, put your mind where it ought to be—focusing on these godly virtues (v. 8):

	“Whatever is true”—the Word of God (John 17:17).
	“Whatever is honorable”—things worthy of respect or consideration.
	“Whatever is right”—righteous.
	“Whatever is pure”—morally clean.
	“Whatever is lovely”—amiable, attractive, as God would define lovely.
	“Whatever is of good repute”—that is to say, “well thought of.”

Now all of these things have to be spiritual, godly virtues. “If there is any excellence,” and there is, and “if there is anything worthy of praise” and there is, then “let your mind dwell on these things” (v. 8). Cultivate good thinking habits. Get off the troublesome and the temporal, and focus on the godly virtues which are eternal. 

If you can learn to be joyful... If you can learn to trust God and not worry... If you can learn to take everything to Him in prayer with a thankful heart... If you can learn to think only on spiritual, godly virtues and not get caught up in temporal issues, something will happen—”the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7). There is your spiritual stability. Your heart and your mind will be protected. There won’t be any fear, panic, doubts, or anxieties. Instead, you will have the kind of peace that God Himself possesses—the kind “that surpasses all comprehension.” A peace for which there is no human explanation will come over you, guarding you from every fear and panic. 

You rejoice because you know that nothing is going to change in the relationship you have eternally with the Lord. You rejoice because you know you don’t deserve anything better than what you have received. You rejoice because the Lord is with you and you have nothing to fear. You rejoice because you give everything to him in prayer, knowing that it will all work together for good. You will also rejoice as a byproduct of filling your mind with the kinds of godly, virtuous things. 

When you think like this, you catapult yourself right into the peace of God which will protect your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.