Rejoice in the Lord

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ 

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ 

We are told over and over to rejoice and be joyful. The fruit of the Spirit includes joy. God tells us to rejoice and be joyful, but each time, it’s focused on Him, His truth, His Word, who we are in Him, and in trials. We are never told to rejoice or find joy in earthly pleasures or sin. God calls us to focus on the eternal.

What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?

Rejoice in His will for you. He has a perfect will for each of us. This should be something we rejoice in because it is perfect, He loves us enough to have a plan for us, it makes us more like Him, and draws us closer to Him. 

Rejoice in His Word. God didn’t have to preserve His Word for us, lead men to translate it to your language, or reveal Himself through It. Holding a copy of God’s Word in a language you can read is a huge deal. There will be some friends reading this who do not have that privilege. 

Rejoice in His faithfulness. God is always faithful. This unchanging faithfulness depends on His perfect character rather than on ours. Hallelujah! Because of this faithfulness, we can trust Him. Every Word of Scripture can be believed because God faithfully fulfills His Word. Anything He has privately given you that aligns with His Word (or else it’s not from God) will happen. 

Rejoice in His love. He loves us beyond our human comprehension. This love will never fail or falter. There’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more or less than He always has and always will. It is His love for us that caused Jesus to die to provide salvation for us. It was the love of God that revealed to us our need for a Saviour. His love convicts us when we aren’t following His will or Word. His love makes our relationship with Him possible. 

Rejoice in the blessings He has given. Everything we have is from the Lord, so thank Him for it and use it for His glory! Your health, home, talents, finances, possessions, etc. 

Rejoice in the promise of Heaven. Your faith will become sight one day. Days here will be long and hard, trials will come, but Heaven is one day closer!

Rejoice in the power and privilege of prayer. God does not owe us anything, including listening to and being attentive to our prayers. Yet, as a loving Father, He invites us to spend time and commune with Him. Prayer is a blessing we should not take for granted or neglect. 

The more time we spend reading the Bible and prayer, the more we will know and trust the Lord, allowing us to rejoice in Him, rather than temporal pleasures. 

Stay in the Word, stay close to the Shepherd, and let Him lead you in paths of righteousness. 

With Hope in His Service, 

Heather