As Christian believers, we are encouraged to praise God in all things at all times.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 34:1 ESV
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.”
Philippians 4:4 ESV
But does that really mean ALL the time?
Even when we are grieving? Sick? Discouraged?
Rejoice when bad things happen?
Are we to plaster a happy face on and pretend everything is okay when we are actually crying inside? I don’t think so. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it hard to rejoice when grieving, ill, or discouraged.
When my son died, I found it pretty hard to rejoice. I wasn’t very happy. However, I had an assurance that he was no longer in pain, and that gave me some comfort in my grief.
“Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 NIV
We usually equate rejoicing with being happy. But it is difficult to be happy when we’re hurting. However, as Christians, we can still have joy.
There is a difference between happiness and joy. Webster's dictionary defines happiness as “a feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.” Happiness is more dependent on our internal feelings or circumstances around us.
On the other hand, biblical joy is related to our hope for who Jesus is and what he has done for us rather than what is happening around us.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22 ESV
When we understand the hope we have in Jesus, we can experience joy, even in our suffering. Even if our circumstances are not ‘happy,’ we can still have an underlying joy, knowing that the Holy Spirit can comfort us in our difficulties.
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
We can praise God in the storms of life with the assurance of our hope in Jesus. And in that way, we can rejoice in all things. We can rejoice in our hope of salvation, our hope of heaven, the hope and comfort of the Holy Spirit, knowing God will use all of our circumstances for good, even when we don’t understand it.
This blog is an excerpt from the book: "Come To The Table - Pursuing Peace & Joy Through Grace & Mercy" by Kathleen Knapp, now available on Amazon.
Comments