D. Rejoice—Be Patient—Pray (4:4-7)

Once again a keynote is sounded: Rejoice in the Lord! Here is an appeal for the optimism of faith since being in the Lord is assurance of victory. Gentleness (v.5) means a gracious patience with a spirit of magnanimity. These virtues can be practiced because the Lord is near; i.e., “the Lord who will come again is presently very near in his Spirit” (Hawthorne, 192). There is no need to be fretfully anxious about anything. Rather, thankful prayer and petition is the antidote to anxiety and the way to the peace of God. The peace of God is the sense of well-being that results from being in Christ. This peace, which transcends all understanding, is the guardian of both heart and mind. The heart is primary; it is the center of the deepest feelings and motivations.