What It Really Means to Rejoice in the Lord

What It Really Means to Rejoice in the Lord

I woke up early this morning. I stretched and yawned. As I staggered to the bathroom, (now some of you would think I was having a terrible hangover) a distance voice was saying Rejoice! Rejoice!. It was a strange feeling because I have always had difficult in understanding why should I rejoice? Really what is there to rejoice for? There are so many things and situations to worry about in my life than there are to rejoice. Have you ever felt like that? Perhaps you are currently feeling like that.  Then another inner voice said “stop worrying”. Well I stopped for a moment on the hall way and saw our son sleeping quietly, then a thought crossed my mind he is not worried. ‘Look’ I said to myself, “here is a child with a care free soul. He believes in his parents. He knows His dad is capable and her mom loves is never ending”. I remembered the many times I have told him, “son lets go”, he never questions me first with where are we going dad questions? He jumps to his feet with excitement and start looking for his shoes first and off we goes. I remembered many times I have woken him up against his wish, disturbed his sleep at my will so that I can take him to school, visit places, eat, take shower and the list goes on and on. Yet he rarely questions my authority. Why is that? I posed that question to myself for second and an instant answer hit me; because he believes you are god. You are god to him. I provide, I love him, I protect him and I play with him hide and seek yet am his god.

The same case I am Gods child. How many times have I failed to believe in God of exodus yet my little boy believes in me. Yet my little child boasts of me to other children like my dad did this, my dad is that even when sometimes I don’t measure up.  But the other day as I drove him to church he said, “Dad you know I am a genius, I will give you my brain to use because I am a genius”. My hands froze on the steering wheel. My wife looked at me and our eyes locked as I came to halt at red sign. The look in my wife’s eyes was such like I am happy am not the one talking, “go get em son”.  We were all silent for are moment, and then my wife and I busted in laughter. The couple in the next lane watched us with awe. Perhaps wondering why and how on earth are they laughing at. Why should they be happy? Here we are contemplating on our multiple challenges yet some people can afford to laugh so hard and disturb the peace of our problems. Can’t they see its no laughing matter. This thought crossed my mind as the lights opened.  As I hit highway 35 I remembered {Psalm 127: 3-5} Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Now how many times have we failed to believe in our Mighty God as Christians? How often have we failed to trust in Lord Jesus and His grace? How many times God has woken us from our sleep, and we refused to wake up? How many times have God told us to go yet we defied him and stood still. How many times the good Lord of Calvary has told us to stop yet we broke loose and got hijacked in the highway of life. This is all because we have refused to be children. No wonder it is said in Matthew 18:3 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you change and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”  There was my son and seated at back seat and willingly borrowing me his brain yet he trusted me more than the GPS he was playing with in his tiny fingers. This is what God ask of us. To be childlike. How many times have we refused to be childlike? Or even better how many times we have refused to be at the backseat and let God take control of our lives. This because, we are no better, but stubborn like the children of Israel in the desert. God seeks a childlike submissiveness and meekness, a gleeful childlike heart … and a childlike faith. Faith builds character, and this process starts when you are a child. Without faith, we cannot please God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6). I proceeded to the bathroom and the inner voice said “My child stop worrying and rejoice in the Lord always”. My stubbornness in faith insisted, but how can I rejoice in the Lord always? As I washed my face and rose to see my face projected in the mirror I realized if I only remove this mirror I will see not my image any more but see God and rejoice in Him. At that moment I hoped on my laptop and started keying this blog.

Nearly every Christian knows the verse that says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). I memorized that verse when I was 5 years in my Kenyan Sunday school.  The exhortation is to “rejoice,” the location is “in the Lord,” and the duration is “always.”  Phew! that’s challenging. Reality demonstrates that Philippians 4:4 is sometimes difficult to apply, however. How can a Christian truly, “rejoice in the Lord always?”  How can I rejoice when I have lost my job. How can we rejoice with multiple debts and mortgage to clear. How can we rejoice when we have not talked to our spouses for days yet we live in the same house? How can we rejoice when the world is in war turmoil? Suicide bombers willingly ready to kill us in the name of God and you tell me to rejoice in His Name? How can we rejoice when the very nature and climate change does not guarantee our future generation?  How can we rejoice when living in foreign land as beggars, refugees or illegally without papers? How can we rejoice when all ‘good’ women and men are taken? How can I rejoice when am not sure of the next meal, living in abject poverty, sick and tired.  Simply put rejoicing in the Lord is not a guarantee of lack problems. Its like as Psalmist records in Psalm 113:9, the Lord will make the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children praising the LORD! Even though she is barren she will rejoice in the Lord like a joyful mother. Now that’s complex yet practical.

Adults have a tendency to become cynical with age, while a child has yet to be touched by the concerns of the world. It dawned on me of course, God wants us to come before Him as children, because children are innocent, and trust with a pure, uncorrupted heart.

The phrase, “rejoice in the Lord” is found several times in the book of Philippians. Perhaps an examination of these passages will aid our understanding as I share below the 4 explanations as presented through a sermon from Edgewood Church of Christ in Texas. I found it very encouraging yet thought provoking, challenging and more often than not very uncomfortable.

1. “Rejoicing… in Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:26) — We are to rejoice in the Lord at the thought of reunion with our brethren. This is especially true when that reunion involves deliverance, as it would in Paul’s case (he wrote the book of Philippians from prison). So, rejoicing in the Lord is a matter of fellowship. Do our lives show that we intensely desire greater fellowship with other Christians? Do we earnestly pray that our brethren will be delivered from perilous places in their lives? It’s a matter of rejoicing in the Lord!

2. “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1, 3) — We are to rejoice in the Lord because of the humble and self-emptying examples of Jesus (Phil. 2:5-11), Paul (Phil. 2:17-18), Timothy (Phil. 2:19-24), and Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25-30). Further, we are to walk in their footsteps by exhibiting a mind of humility ourselves (Phil. 3:1-11). Rejoicing in the Lord is a matter of self-renunciation. Do our lives demonstrate that we truly esteem the Christ-centered life as something most precious: “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:8)?

3. “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4) — Christians are to rejoice in the Lord always, especially when it is difficult to get along with others (cf. Phil. 4:2-3). Rejoicing in the Lord, then, is a matter of reconciliation (Phil. 4:2-5), prayer (Phil. 4:6-7), proper meditation (Phil. 4:8), and imitation of what is right (Phil. 4:9). Unnecessary conflict with brethren keeps us from true rejoicing. Lack of prayer and the wrong kind of thinking will keep us from rejoicing in the Lord as we ought. Do our thoughts, prayers, and actions demonstrate that we place our utmost confidence in God’s power and goodness?

4. “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 4:10) — We are to rejoice in the Lord because of the active, obedient faith of other Christians, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Paul could rejoice in the Lord even though he was imprisoned, partly because his circumstances gave others the opportunity to exercise their faith (Phil. 4:10-17). Thus, we might say that rejoicing in the Lord is a matter of love and contentment. Do our lives show contentment by seeking to do all things, “without complaining and grumbling” (Phil. 2:14)?

From the passages above, it seems that rejoicing in the Lord is a matter of looking for God’s influence in every situation of life and pointing out that influence to others. Rejoicing in the Lord is, quite simply, a change in perspective and outlook. Do I really believe that God is working through me as I seek to do His will (Phil. 2:12-13)? Do I consistently look for reasons to praise God, even when my own circumstances are difficult to endure (Phil. 1:12; 4:10-17)? When I see God’s influence in the world, do I regularly mention it to others so that they may glorify God with me (Phil. 4:10)?

Remember also rejoicing in the Lord does not mean you sit back and do nothing. It means we have an obligation to align our thoughts with God’s will, because we are co-creators in the Kingdom of God. That Kingdom of God starts here on Earth not in Heaven. The reason we should not only say The Lords prayer that has been far removed from our midst but deeply meditate on it.  

By ~Njoroge wa Ngige~ 121915-1120.