Apostle Paul inspires not only with his epistles but also his lifestyle. For the record, the epistle to the Philippians was written in jail. Generally, jail of any type and in whatever nation is no luxury; but something makes the Roman jail system more deplorable. In his introductory note to the book of Ephesians Eugene, Peterson says anyone in Roman custody is on his own. Feeding and keeping warm in cold weather, writing paper, ink and pen that a prisoner might need has to be at his personal expense. Largely then, a prisoner would depend on the goodwill of friends and relatives. This we can verify from this epistle as Paul later acknowledged what the Philippians sent to him, which inspired that apostolic blessing of Philippians 4:19.
The point is that thanking God is not what we do only in our pleasant state; it is meant for all times…It is an expression of faith when we thank God despite the things that are out of shape.
Now, here is the crunchy part of our meditation. Imagine a man in this kind of situation saying, “I thank my God”! The point is that thanking God is not what we do only in our pleasant state; it is meant for all times. Like Paul, we ought to move from thanking God for things and situations to thanking Him in spite of them. When we can look beyond our unpleasant circumstances and bless God, we touch a chord in the heart of the Father; showing that we are maturing in the Spirit. This is a spiritual way to handle the distasteful issues that may show up sometimes. It is an expression of faith when we thank God despite the things that are out of shape. Soon enough, God will deploy His power to bring about a turnaround.