REJOICING IN THE LORD ALWAYS

Philippians 3:1 says, "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." Paul continued to encourage the believers in Philippi to rejoice in the Lord in whatever happens. He kept on reminding them because it was very essential in their spiritual walk with the Lord. To rejoice in the Lord means to have joy in our hearts in whatever circumstances we are in because we have complete hope in the Lord. Our complete trust in the Lord brings hope in our lives, which produces joy in the midst of our struggles. The reason Paul could rejoice while in house arrest was that he trusted God with his present condition and future. He believed with all his heart that God would take care of him, and whatever happens to him, whether he would be released from house arrest or spend the rest of his life in house arrest, he trusted God with the outcome. 

The only way we can rejoice in whatever circumstances we are in is that we need to trust God completely. Our complete trust in God produces hope and security that brings peace in our hearts. And our peace in our hearts leads us to rejoice. There was a woman who was interviewed on the news right after the firestorm in California at the beginning of this year. Her house was completely destroyed. All her belongings were gone. The most concerning thing was that she didn't have enough house insurance to rebuild her home, and she didn't know where she would stay next. However, there was something that caught my attention when she was being interviewed. She mentioned her hope in the Lord. She was trusting in God completely in the midst of her lost. She might not have had the answers during the time of her interview, but she had hope and peace that God would take care of her. It was her faith in God that gave her peace, hope, and joy. We, too, can experience the peace that leads to rejoicing in every situation if we completely trust in God. 

We can rejoice in the midst of our difficult circumstances if we completely trust that God will take care of us. God's help is not something that we think, but it is something that we believe deep down in our hearts.  

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) How can I rejoice in the middle of my difficult situation? Do I completely trust God that He takes care of me? Do I have a current situation that I need to completely trust God so that I can continue to rejoice in Him? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for reminding me today of the importance of completely trusting in you. I can rejoice in the middle of my difficult situation because I know and believe with all of my heart that you will take care of me. No matter how dark, difficult, or impossible my situation may be, you still have my life under your care. Please help me to completely rest in you that I may rejoice in whatever happens in my life. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.