A HEART FULL OF JOY by Beth Fullerton

PHILIPPIANS 1:3-11 

Have you ever had someone tell you they have been praying for you?  My Mom has a friend named Paula Leverett.  She told my mother that she was praying for me throughout my college years.  Now that’s a commitment!  I’m confident that her prayers (as well as my parents) guarded my decisions and my life. That was over 30 years ago and I’m still touched by Paula’s willingness to pray for me.  I talked to another friend Wednesday night (who lives in my neighborhood) and she told me that seeing my house triggers her to pray for our elders.  Knowing that you are being specifically prayed for is humbling, encouraging and gives a feeling of peace.  

So, what does it mean to “pray with joy”?  The Message translates the passage “I find myself praying for you with a glad heart”.  Webster’s defines joy as the emotion of great happiness.  I’m not so sure that was what Paul was thinking when he wrote this letter.  It seems that joy is something much deeper and more meaningful than just being happy or glad.  Joy seems to be a decision even a result of obeying the call to be a child of God.  When I am communing with God and am touched by His desire to have me as His child I am overwhelmed.  That is joy for me.  When I pray I want to pray with a heart full of gratitude – for what God has done for me, how He wants fellowship with me and continually remembering the greatest sacrifice He made to allow me to come directly into His presence. 

I love v. 9-10.  Paul tells the Philippians exactly what his prayer is for them – that they love move deeply and that in doing so they will have discernment, purity and remain blameless until Christ’s coming.  I want to renew my conviction to pray specifically for individuals – not only for their current needs but that their love will grow and that they will remain pure and blameless until the coming of Christ.  Thirty years later I remember the legacy of prayer that Paula Leverett has imprinted on my life.  Paul left that imprint on so many of the early Christians.  What am I doing that will leave a lasting imprint that will bring glory to God?