Rejoice Always
Rejoice Always
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Phil. 4:4)
Why?
Problems and pain are everywhere. But that’s not the whole story. Problems and pain for the Christian, while real and serious, are ultimately incidental, not the truest thing. The truest thing is that God is and that He loves us! The truest thing is that our biggest problem—sin—has been dealt with once and for all through the cross of Christ.
So there is reason to rejoice no matter what. Yes, it can be incredibly hard to rejoice sometimes. We don’t always feel like rejoicing. We often feel like complaining instead. And God understands that. The psalms, in fact, are full of that kind of thing. Yet they’re also filled with tenacious faith that clings to the belief that God is good no matter what things look like on the outside. So because God is who He is—completely faithful, good, and loving—there is ample reason to rejoice no matter what.
When?
The time to rejoice in God is always now. You don’t have to wait. The way faith works is that we don’t generally feel our way into acting, but rather we believe and act our way into feeling. So if you want to be happy in God, now’s the time to start rejoicing. Now’s the time to recite who He is, what He’s done, and how He feels about you. Let nothing stop you. Think about it: if you can’t be happy in God, who or what can make you happy? Rejoice. Always.
Bottom Line
No, not everything in your life is how you would like it to be. Rejoice anyway! Rejoicing will ultimately bring you the most happiness.