"Dread versus Thankfulness"

by Pastor Ben Dolby

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. … Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

– Philippians 4:4-6; 11-12

At the time of writing I am less than forty-eight hours away from a dentist appointment I have been dreading for two weeks. It is quite the challenge, dare I say…impossible, for me to not be anxious about this particular appointment.

Saint Paul shares a discovery he made in his personal faith journey, or better stated, God’s Holy Spirit is helping Paul grow in his reliance upon God. It is not always the best tactic to play the comparison game between our trials and those of our brothers and sisters in faith. However, it is informative to the growth of my faith to remember Paul’s circumstances of being brought low and dealing with anxiety included murderous attempts on his life for simply proclaiming Jesus. What are the current circumstances I am dreading? An uncomfortable and unpleasant dentist appointment with medical professionals whose mission is to keep me safe and healthy, rather than harm me in body or soul.

It is quite alright for me to not look forward to this current, dreadful appointment BUT it would be foolish to attempt to dwell on it on my own rather than lift up prayers of concern. It is good to ask God to give me his strength to face this coming appointment with sincere thankfulness.

This passage from Saint Paul’s epistle (church letter) to the Christians at Philippi offered me a time to discover a secret I’ve discovered. Every day, every week, every year I find myself muttering, “If I could only get past this stressful thing, there will be peace on the other side.”

You know where this is going, right? I do not have to go back too far to recall what I was muttering in July: “If I could only get past this humidity in New Orleans at the Youth Gathering,” … “If I could only get past this illness during VBS week.”

Every day, every week, every year will have things that confront us and tempt us to live in a perpetual state of dread. God’s Holy Word offers hope and comfort, not by taking us out of our circumstances (though that will come with the Resurrection, alleluia!) but rather reminds us and directs us to the One who promises to be with us in each day’s dreadful circumstances. For what purpose? To give us peace, joy, hope, and many things to be thankful for even while we live through trials and tribulations.

In closing, I am thankful for God revealing the secret of contentment in my present circumstances when my brother shared his story of the same dental procedure done to him while he served in the United States Marine Corps. He said, “Oh Ben, you’re going to be fine! You’re getting your wisdom teeth out as a civilian. You have professional medical personnel. When I was given orders that mine were being removed, it was so the dental students could, and I quote: ‘Get some practice by working on your whole unit.’”

I am thankful for the LORD using my brother to help me keep things in perspective as well as prepare to laugh at myself when I have gotten over this mountain of dread, only to breath a momentary sigh of relief and quickly encounter the next (likely taller) mountain of dread in the weeks to come. I have learned the secret to facing these times with dread, because there is so much to give thanks to God for, most especially for his promise to never leave me nor forsake me. I pray you are comforted by that promise of God to you when you’re facing your next mountain of dread.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7

Alleluia and Amen!

In Christ,

Pastor Dolby