Rejoice In The Lord

Philippians 4:4 says this, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”  It is strange that Paul would encourage the church to rejoice in the Lord while he was in prison for no reason other than loving the Lord, the church, the Word of God and being faithful to his calling.  Paul lived to preach and teach the Word and to honor the Lord in every circumstance he found himself in.

Paul said this in Philippians 1:21-26, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

Paul went through more than many of us will ever have to, but through it all he rejoiced in the Lord and encouraged the church to rejoice in the Lord also, what an example he was.  Rejoicing and praising the Lord is something I try to do often, not that I am on the mountaintop, so to speak, all the time, many times I feel that I am in the valley struggling but it is not where you find yourselves, it is your attitude in whatever situation you are in.  It is all in your perspective and how you perceive the Lord.  Do you see the Lord as sovereign, holy and righteous, your sustainer, your provider, deliverer and healer and your only hope, or some other way?  I want to encourage everyone to rejoice with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.

David said this in Psalms 145:1-5:

“I will extol You, my God, O King;

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You,

And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Your works to another,

And shall declare Your mighty acts.

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,

And on Your wondrous works.”

David had many enemies who were trying to take his life, even his son Absalom tried to overthrow him at one point, but David had known God from his childhood and knew who He was and that He was his only hope.  No matter what David went through he knew that God was faithful and totally worthy of his praise.  David said, “every day will I bless thee and praise thy name for ever and ever,” and I believe that every believer should have this same attitude or mindset.

It also says this in Psalms 150:1-6, the writer is anonymous:

“Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty acts;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;

Praise Him with the lute and harp!

Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”

Let all God’s people join the psalmist in this Psalm and may the praises of God be in our hearts and minds, let us all be faithful to praise the Lord.  Something to think about!  Have a safe and super day and may God’s blessings be with you and yours!!  Rejoicing and praising the Lord is good medicine.