What is rejoicing?
How do we do it?
Why do we do it?
When does the Lord do it?
Why is it a command?
Webster defines “rejoice” as – to feel or show you are very happy about something. Dictionary.com says , ” to be full of joy.” Vocabulary.com says, ” To rejoice is to be incredibly happy, or to express your happiness. If you just won millions in the lottery…
This is the verse that stopped me in my tracks beloved.
” Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired
of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.”( Phil. 3:1)
Wow! That kind of blew me away. Whatever happens? But Lord….
How is it possible to rejoice…whatever happens?
You tell us :
When we take refuge in you we can rejoice. ( Ps. 5:11)
When we are rescued we can rejoice.( Ps.13:5)
When injustice is avenged we can rejoice. ( Ps. 58:10)
We rejoice in your presence. (Ps.68:4)
We rejoice in your laws.(Ps. 119:14)
We rejoice in your word like one who discovers great treasure.( Psalm 119:162)
Your word even tells us how you rejoice over us when:
We commit ourselves to you like a bride to her groom. ( Isaiah 62:5)
You rejoice over us with joyful songs. You take delight in us and with your love calm our fears. ( Zeph. 3:17)
Paul said he would rejoice in the Lord even if his life was poured out as a liquid offering.(Phil. 3:1)
David said, ” I know , my God that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. ” ( 1 Chron.29:17)
All of these verses are TRUTH but I want to focus on two of them because I believe in them lies the key to unlocking the mystery of Why rejoicing…
In the Philippians passage , Paul told us to rejoice, whatever happens, in all things because it would safeguard our faith. In the Psalm 119 passage, we are told we ,” Rejoice in His word, like one who discovers great treasure! ” Could that be the secret to rejoicing? The secret that safeguards our faith. If rejoicing means to be full of joy and incredibly happy as one who won the lottery,is this what makes it possible? The Lord tells us SO clearly that we can rejoice in His word like one who discovers great treasure because we ARE discovering great treasure. We are discovering that God in His infinite wisdom packed everything we need for life and godliness in this sacred book He left us! IT teaches us how to safeguard our faith, how to renew our minds, how to trust when all around us is shadows.
The Kingdom of God is not for the faint of heart. But take heart my beloved friends, He Has overcome! When our hearts feel the most faint. He renews our strength. We are able to mount up with wings like eagles, to run and NOT grow weary, to walk and NOT faint.
( Praying before an appointment)
Our gracious Father knew that this life would be hard but also very precious. We would experience great joy and great sorrow. But in His loving kindness He created us with a deep need and desire for Him and then He equipped us with this “Treasure”. That would comfort us when we mourned, guide us when we were searching, strengthen us when we were weak. If we choose to rejoice in our sufferings , and rejoice in our blessings we would be strengthened and by that our faith would be safeguarded.
Sometimes rejoicing comes so easily. It is an overflow of a full heart! Life is good! His blessings abound! We see goodness all around us!
Then sometimes rejoicing is a choice. It is actually a battle cry. We are in the midst of great suffering. Our hearts KNOW that the Lord is good and yet we are in the middle of “hard”. We declare it through tears and weeping.
Did you know that the purpose of a battle cry during war was to express solidarity and intimidate the enemy?
We are about to step on Holy ground my friends!
This is where it gets exciting! His word is SO true!
Psalm 8:2 ” From the mouths of children and infants you have brought forth praise to silence your enemy.”
We are in a BATTLE! But we are NOT alone! We stand with Christ and we stand together.
Praise from the mouths of children and infants can silence the enemy! We are told to rejoice in ALL things to safeguard our faith. We can choose to do this! It is our choice to obey that command. With obedience comes so much blessing. Who will take up the battle cry with me dear ones? I need my mind to be renewed daily through His word,of His power for
” Those who HOPE.” I desire to shout the battle cry daily, ” REJOICE!”
REJOICE, in all things! The Lord is near to the broken hearted. A bruised reed He does not break. A smoldering candle he does not extinguish. Rather, He strengthens the weary. He is enough my friends. He is more than enough. Whatever your battle, it is the same battle cry. I will cry it with you!
I leave you with this beautiful passage from David. I have lost count of how many times I have read it today. May His Spirit lift you up in His mighty strength as you rejoice!
” Yours, O Lord is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
Everything we have, has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
O Lord , the God of our ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes.” ( I Chron. 29:11-18)
