Living Large in a Small World: A Look Into Philippians 1Sample

Seeing Through the Right Lens

Everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News (Philippians 1:12).

On the surface, “everything that has happened” to Paul in his captivity painted a depressing picture. He couldn’t preach to crowds, visit churches, or even defend himself freely. He had jealous rivals and discouraged allies. Things didn’t look good for him.

Beneath the surface, however, Paul saw a different picture. God was using him and his circumstances to advance the gospel among key leaders. He wrote powerful, inspiring letters we now call Scripture. As far as Paul was concerned, things were looking pretty good.

This contrast in perspectives is a prime example of seeing circumstances through the lens of God rather than seeing God through the lens of circumstances. When we let our immediate situation dictate our experience of God, we begin to question his heart toward us, his will for our lives, and our own standing with him. Over time, we end up with a pretty distorted picture.

But when we look at our circumstances in light of God—his presence, power, and purposes—we know they don’t tell the whole story. We trust that God is working through them or in spite of them. The first perspective undermines our faith every step of the way. The second builds it up.

Paul chose to focus on how the Kingdom of God was advancing rather than on how it wasn’t advancing. He had no interest in a negative spin. If he were around today, he wouldn’t be glued to our media’s steady stream of outrage and fear. He would be focused instead on what God is doing—how the number of people who claim the name of Christ is higher now than at any point in history, how Spirit-led movements freely proclaim Jesus, and how the gospel is reaching even “unreachable” people in “closed” countries.

In the eyes of many, the world is getting worse and worse. In the eyes of others, the Kingdom is growing more and more. The letter to the Philippians is very clear on which emphasis is appropriate for a citizen of heaven.

Re-Envision Your Circumstances

Your perspective is a choice. You can fill your heart and mind with what should or shouldn’t be happening and wring your hands over the way things are going, or you can fill your heart and mind with the God who has promised that the increase of his Kingdom will never end, that he will work all things together for your good, and that every situation is filled with redemptive possibilities. You’ll find that one perspective leads to anxiety, fear, outrage, despair, and/or depression. But with practice and persistence, the other leads to gratitude, faith, hope, and joy.