Rejoice Always
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” - Philippians 4:4
Whenever I read that verse, I immediately feel called out. My stomach drops a little and I have to gulp back the conviction of knowing that, if I stop and think about it, I find that the attitudes I exhibit as I go about my average day are all too frequently less than joyful. When my kids are whining, when my marriage is struggling, when someone delivers news I never wanted to hear… It can be difficult to rejoice in something as intangible as God when my tangible trials are staring me in the face.
To rejoice is simply the act of choosing joy. That may be a simple definition, but it is hardly easy to execute in a world and in a body that are both marred by the stain of sin and selfishness. Every day, we readily discover motivation to complain, to feel self-pity, to be discontent. We try to find happiness anywhere we can, thinking that happiness is the antidote for frustration and depression. But it isn’t. Happiness is a temporary feeling that comes and goes based on our circumstances; what most people are really seeking is joy. Joy is not the absence of negative feelings, but instead the fervent adoration for Who God is that causes everything else to pale in comparison to His love, His mercy, His greatness.
When we see God for Who He truly is, we are better able to praise Him in all situations. This perspective that requires us to keep our eyes focused on the goodness of God rather than the peril of our trials is the key to experiencing truly unshakable joy.
Our ability to rejoice in the Lord exists completely independent of our circumstances, rather than being determined by them. The prophet Habakkuk wrote in chapter 3 verses 17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation”.
No matter what terrible, difficult, or frustrating trials come our way, they can never erase the truth that Jesus’ blood has paid the price for our sin and guaranteed our eternal security. There is no situation on Earth so devastating that it could outweigh the unfathomable might of the victory Jesus has accomplished on our behalf! Our God is the God of our salvation, a truth that, when rightly understood, should cause our hearts to overflow with praise and gladness. This is the basis of our joy, that nothing can compare to the hope we have in Christ. This is the joy that God offers us as Christians, one that determines our attitudes for us, rather than being determined by them.
Joy is not a product of our circumstances because it is a choice we make and an action we take. Paul’s admonition to “rejoice in the Lord always” is a command to choose a joyful heart-attitude in all situations.
This kind of thinking is antithetical to the world’s idea that joy is something you feel because things around you are going well. The Bible teaches that joy accompanies constant prayer (Romans 12:12). We don’t typically think of situations that we are praying hard over as ones that are also joy-filled. When a loved one is in the hospital, or we don’t know how we’re going to pay our bills this month, or addiction is once again rearing its ugly head… These are the times we find ourselves on our knees praying to God to change our situation.
An amazing thing about prayer, however, is not its ability to change our situation so much as to align our hearts with that of our Creator.
As we allow the Holy Spirit to shift our focus from one that is on our circumstances to one that is on what God is doing and has done, the result will be a shift in our heart from an inward focus to an outward expression of joy.
The most powerful asset we have in our efforts to rejoice always is the Holy Spirit. He accomplishes His sanctifying work in us through trials that give us the opportunity to pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
Joy is often linked in Scripture with suffering. Trials and suffering are used by God to grow our faith and trust in Him, and to develop perseverance in us to run the race He has set before us. James 1:2-3 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”. Suffering and trials should not be seen as all bad for Christians, though that does not make them any easier to walk through.
The Bible teaches that when we share in the suffering of Christ (i.e. when we endure trials because of our obedience to the Father), we likewise share in His joy and reward. “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings. That you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed… Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:13, 19). “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2a), we too can look forward with confidence to the victory over our suffering that God has already achieved and submit ourselves confidently and joyfully to His perfect will and timing.
Jesus’ death and resurrection give us more cause for joy than any other truth in existence; His death because it paid our unpayable debt, and His resurrection because it repaired our irreparable relationship with God.
Because of what Jesus did for us, we can be what we were always meant to be and do what we were always meant to do. He made it possible for us to truly live, not only in this life but also into eternity. It’s no wonder the Gospel is called the good news! This is why the angels proclaimed as they announced the incarnation, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great JOY that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). They were proclaiming to a lost and broken world that God Himself had come down to live among them and to rescue them from their chains of sin, to unlock the prison doors and set them free. What reason could any of us have had to be joyful before when we were trapped in our sin with no way out, trudging through life just awaiting our eternal death sentence?
Conversely, what earthly trial or tribulation could ever be so great as to steal our joy at knowing Christ risen (John 16:22)?
The shepherds to whom the angels announced Christ’s birth had to be told to fear not specifically because they were being confronted by the glory of God. We see the same thing repeated throughout Scripture; whenever God reveals Himself to anyone, their immediate response is to cower in fear. Nothing highlights man’s sin more than standing next to a perfect and holy God Whose presence cannot abide it.
But eventually, the Bible says, we will stand “blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy,” (Jude 1:24). That one word, “blameless”, changes everything for us. It changes our trembling to dancing and our fear to joy. The only way we can stand before God is if we are pure, spotless, with nothing to accuse us. But of course, none of us can claim that standing on our own.
The only way for us to be with God is if we are covered in the blood of the Lamb.
And God, in His great mercy, has provided such a way for us.
So now when we stand before Him, when He looks upon us and sees not our sin but His Son, there can be nothing for us but everlasting joy.
As we walk through the trials of this world, both the monumental tragedies and the day-to-day difficulties, we can find it hard to actively choose joy as we are called to do.
Jesus was wise to give us the sacrament of communion, saying “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). He knew that we would need constant reminders of not only His sacrifice, but of what that sacrifice means for us now and how it allows us to be reconciled with God forever.
We can never experience complete joy until we are in the full presence of God in Heaven. But God is gracious to give us a taste of His perfect joy even while we are on Earth, through His Holy Spirit.
We experience that joy by abiding in God, drawing close to Him, recognizing His mighty works in our lives, and we experience it firsthand when He leads us faithfully through our trials.
When we are truly aware of all that God does for us, how He provides for us and protects us, and how He has made a way for us to be reunited with Him, what other response can we have but to “rejoice always”?
