Reasons To Rejoice

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.’

If ever there was a time where joy hasn’t been easy to come by as an individual, city, church, or even as a world, it’s been this past year. Social division, and injustice loom, loneliness, isolation, restrictions, uncertainty, and loss have all been weighing on us. I know that I have bounced between frustration and contentment, gratitude and disappointment, more times than I can count. 

While we in the UK are currently being offered glimmers of hope for a return to some sort of normality, it doesn’t negate the heaviness that many of us still feel. I’m sure Paul could have related to these feelings. Persecuted and imprisoned with his mission far from complete, he penned the verse above, encouraging the church in Philippi to rejoice. As I was reading the passage, it was not lost on me that he felt the need to say it twice. Paul knew that sometimes rejoicing isn’t an obvious choice or an easy task, and yet he urges the church to rejoice always. This undertaking feels daunting at best and sometimes downright impossible. How are we to rejoice always when the world is such a mess, when our lives are far from how we want them? The key is what or whom we are rejoicing in. Not our circumstance, feelings, successes or even generic good things. Paul says to rejoice in the Lord, the only thing in our lives completely dependable, wholly good and worthy of all joy and praise. We can always rejoice in Him because he is always there for us, always loves us and desires the best for us, and is always reaching out to lift our hearts to him and make us like him. He offers us new life every day and that is more than enough reason to rejoice. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, give us your peace, hope and joy every day, the kind that surpasses our understanding. Remind us of all you’ve done for us so that when we are weary of this world, we can still rejoice in you. Thank you for always giving us a reason to be joyful.