Rejoicing in Jesus!

Rejoicing in Jesus!





A close friend moves out of state. You get sick on Christmas. A friend has a miscarriage. You have a bad day where EVERYTHING goes wrong. The kitchen sink is so full of dishes that it is overflowing. And to top it all off, you have three Geometry lessons calling your name.

Although the above scenarios are quite varied in their difficulty, they normally all produce the same response from each one of us. A complaining spirit, a sigh and perhaps even a root of bitterness. If we are wise we turn to the Lord, and he whispers to us a single word: “rejoice.”

Rejoice?! We say. “Lord, I can’t rejoice in…” And yet our loving Father stays firm in His command. “Rejoice.”

How can we rejoice in all, obeying our Lord’s command to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice”? Let me exhort you, my friend, it is possible, by God’s grace. The Lord has been teaching me and leading me in this path of rejoicing, and though I am still learning, I feel as if He would have me pass on the wonderful truths and joys I have found in rejoicing in Jesus.

One day right after my two closest friends had moved away, I got into a conversation with my friend, Mrs. Booth, about it at church. I was discouraged and lonely, yet Mrs. Booth encouraged me to JOY in my Savoir, even though I did not know what He was trying to teach me. Little did I know, that one of the main things that God was trying to teach me was … REJOICING!

Through the past few years, one of the main things I have struggled with is how I could rejoice when I was sad. After a while, I decided to study the words: joy, happiness, rejoicing, etc. as they are used in the Psalms. During this word study I discovered that in America and the English language, we use the words joy and happiness interchangeably, but incorrectly. Happiness is a state of the emotions, easily changed by circumstances and surroundings. Joy is knowing (a state of the mind and will) that God is in control and choosing to believe it. When I am not happy about something does not mean that I cannot rejoice in it, rather that is precisely when I must rejoice. Rejoicing is a choice, yet it is a command. (Philippians 4:4, I Thes. 5:16) Rejoicing is an act of the will, emotions can only follow.

How many times do we pour out all our complaints at the throne of our Heavenly Father, not pausing to listen to His reassuring promises to help us perform all that He commands? If we would only listen and rest in our Lord, we could find true joy. It is there, patiently waiting, but how many of us are wiling to make the effort to reach out and take it? An evangelist that once visited our church made a very true statement. He said: “There is always a way of escape and there is always sufficient grace. When we sin, we are not accessing that grace.” Think about that for a moment.

These principals may seem simple and unimportant to some, but if one person and failed to rejoice, Jesus would have come to ransom him. Someone wise once said: “My only contribution to the plan of salvation was the sin that required it.” Even though I may not be happy about all that has happened or all that is happening right now in my life, I choose to believe that his way is perfect (Ps. 18:30) and rest in the knowledge of His love. Even when I get lonely for my friends who moved away, or when everything seems to go wrong all in one day, I must choose to thank the Lord for EVERYTHING, and JOY in Him.

Satan has a very large stronghold in Christians when we have “bad days”. Jesus Christ has died for us, ransomed us, and is now in heaven, waiting for us. This is exciting, friends! Instead of focusing on the negative, on the things that are going wrong, focus on Jesus and all the rich blessings that He has bestowed upon us all as His children. As Mrs. Booth once told me, “When I am rejoicing in Jesus, I can “throw a party” in the trial.” When Satan tries to steal your joy with a “bad” day or you find yourself in the midst of a trial, rejoice in Him, brethren! “Throw a party” for your God is greater than ANY problem!

Even in the little things, such as washing dishes or working a geometry problem, we are given daily opportunities that our heavenly Father lays before us, to see if we will obey His words and commands, to test our love for Him. Even though it is hard to remember to rejoice at times, the peace that goes hand in hand with choosing to rejoice is well worth it. And He is there to give the strength to press on!

Throughout all our lives as Christians, we must remember two precious words: He knows. Sad? He knows. Lonely? He knows. Depressed? He knows. Multiple temptations? He knows. The future? HE KNOWS! Praise our dear Lord! We can rejoice in all our ways!

The next time you are struggling with anything, big or small, talk to the Lord about it, bringing all in your heart before Him, and purposing to rejoice in your situation. He knows! You may not feel any better about it, but you will know in your heart that you are obeying the Lord and rejoicing in His perfect dealings with you. And in this, there is true joy.