I confess to feeling grumpy.

The Lord took me to Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He wrote from prison, in chains. Seriously locked down. How did he survive?

1)   He refused to be frustrated

What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel (Philippians 1:12). The devil intends the virus and pandemic to spread fear and restrict the church. But what the enemy meant for harm, God is turning to good.

The church is exploding in Iran, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. There’s revival in Brazil and California. 30,000 a day are coming to Christ in China. The worldwide church is returning to its knees, and the Lord will answer.

Locked down in prison, Paul couldn’t preach, so he wrote letters. He had no idea we’d be reading them 2,000 years later. He just did what he could do.

2)   He refused to be glum

Rejoice, and joy appear fourteen times in this short letter.

Joy is not happiness. Happiness happens when good things happen. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and a gift from Jesus, whatever happens. Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4) is a command. We choose to rejoice; the feelings follow.

How do I do that, when I’m feeling grumpy?

First, I can en-joy the time to read, paint, garden, make things, rest. Smell the roses.

Second, I can give thanks. The secret of being content in any situation? Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in [not “for”] all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

3)   He refused to listen to bad news

How is your spirit after watching the news? Encouraged?Probably not! For how much is a biased secular agenda, ungodly gossip, or simply untrue? Here is Philippians 4:8: whatever is true… noble… right… pure… lovely… admirable… excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Last year I stopped listening to the secular news. Life is much more peaceful.

4)   He refused to lose his vision

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). Paul’s mind was not on earthly things.

I’ve lived in New Zealand for fifteen years, but I recently called England, “home.” Wrong. Our citizenship is in heaven! We can never be settled on earth—we’re aliens here, awaiting the Lord’s return.

So we’re not afraid, or bored, or grumpy. We’re excited! Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17).

This ridiculous joy in these times is a powerful witness. People are hungry for answers. Brian Houston said, “Some see difficulties; others, opportunities.” Let us do what we can, and trust the Lord to do what only he can.

Fed up with lockdown? Rejoice!