Rejoice Always…Really?
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand
It is a constant throbbing pain. Some days I “feel” every bone in my ankles, fingers, and wrists. It is exhausting and depressing.
So when I come to Philippians 4:4 and Paul is saying rejoice, I kinda want to kick him in the face. Forgive me, I do have a martial arts background and there was something cathartic about doing a high round kick to a bag.
Seriously rejoicing in the Lord sounds a bit unreasonable. I mean I hurt, everywhere, and I need to rejoice?
At least he didn’t tell me to rejoice in the pain. He said rejoice in the Lord. And that makes a difference because even in the reality of mysterious health issues (my pain) or the stress of finances or relationship tension, God is able to do more than we ask or imagine. He is still good, faithful, loving, powerful, and He has a plan to work all things together for my good.
So no matter my circumstances, I can rejoice in the Lord. Always. I just need to remember a few things.
First when I rejoice in the Lord despite my circumstances, I may still hurt and feel exhausted and hate how I feel. But I can decide to trust God in and through the difficult time.
When I do that I do not react from my pain, but I can respond with patience and be reasonable. I can…I have to decide to partner with the Holy Spirit to do it, but I can. So I need to remember to respond.
Finally tucked away at the end of verse five is a truth that is easy to miss. One that we read over so fast that we miss its importance. “The Lord is near.”
Do you remember a time when just knowing that a particular person, specifically one who had strength or wisdom or power that you did not have, changed how you felt? I was afraid of the dark as a child, but when my mom or dad came into the room, even if they never turned on the light, I knew I was fine.
Similarly knowing the Lord is near is reason for me to rejoice even in the pain. He sees me, He has not forgotten me, He has plans to work all the things that seem nonsensical into good. I cannot fathom the depths of His love and power and goodness. So I must remember He is near.
So it is for us all…The Lord is near, so in His power we can be reasonable and we can rejoice in Him…always.
For more discussion about Philippians 4:4-5 check out this podcast episode.
