Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.   Philippians 4:4 ESV

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.   Psalm 118:24 ESV

The word rejoice is defined as to feel or show great delight. We are instructed in the bible to rejoice. But what about when you don’t feel like rejoicing? We aren’t always happy, right? So what about the times that we are facing trials and tribulations in our life? Well again, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, we are told to rejoice always.

Our second passage of scripture tells us that the Lord made this day so we are supposed to rejoice and be glad in it. But, how do you do that when you are having a bad day? How do you do that when you are mourning? How do you do that when you are in pain?

Well, let me tell you, it’s not easy. There are times when I fail miserably.  There are times when I allow my emotions to control how I feel and what I express. There are times when I am having a bad day and I want those around me to know it. When I am angry, I tend to express that as well.

But, you see if we live according to our circumstances and our emotions, we will be like a roller coaster. We will be constantly up and down. But if we live according to the mercy and goodness provided us by our Lord and Savior, we will rejoice. We will remain steady.

My paternal grandmother was a strong, God fearing Christian woman. She suffered with lupus and many let downs in her life, but she never let it show. She worked hard, loved God, loved her family and was a rock. She was a tiny little woman, but she was a rock. I hardly ever saw her down. She was an amazing example of what a Christian life should be. She suffered many things in her life that I never knew about until much later, but she never let these “things” get her down. Her faith remained strong. I so look forward to seeing her again some day. I have missed her for many years.

We have a choice as we go through each and every day. We can go through with fear which we may express with anger or bitterness or we can go through with faith. Those that go through with faith remain steady because they know that God is in control. We understand that God’s got this and that He works all things for our good because we love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

So, I ask you, are you rejoicing today? If you are experiencing trials and tribulations are you able to remain steady because of your faith or are you allowing your fears to take over?

Rejoicing is a choice we make. It doesn’t come naturally. We must choose to rejoice and be glad in the day that the Lord has made. We must choose to trust God that even in bad times, He is working things out for our good and His glory. We must choose to trust that He has good things planned for us (Jeremiah 29:11). We must choose to rejoice and be glad.

If we have not chosen to serve the Lord our God and trust in Him, we may find it a bit harder to rejoice. But, when we choose to serve God, we have reason to rejoice. Even in our trials, we know that God has put them there for a reason. We know that they can serve as proof of our faith in Him (1 Peter 1:6-9).  They can serve as an opportunity for us to lead others to Christ.

Trust in God today, give it all over to Him and do what He calls us to do, rejoice!

Have a great day!