There are many things in life that can get us down. Daily struggles and difficult situations try to steal our joy all the time. This is something I personally have experienced in my life.
But God doesn’t want us to live in constant sorrow. In fact, He came so that we might experience His joy even in the middle of our struggles and hard seasons.
Here are three reasons we can rejoice in the Lord, no matter what we’re going through.
1. We Can Rejoice in What God Has Done
The Psalms are full of the psalmist rejoicing in what God has done for him. Psalm 81:1-3, ESV, states “Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob! Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.”
This Psalm is telling us to rejoice with all our heart! God has done such wonderful things for us. We should be joyful in what He’s done.
A great example of this is in the Old Testament. After the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), when the Israelites were delivered by God from Pharoah, they sang a song in celebration for their deliverance! Exodus 15:1 (ESV) says: “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, ‘I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and the rider He has thrown into the sea.’”
After that verse, a good portion of chapter fifteen is spent singing this song of praise to the LORD. God had just parted the Red Sea and delivered the Israelites from their enemies. The Israelites rejoiced at what God had done for them. In doing so, they set an example for us to do the same. We can rejoice that Jesus has parted the veil that once separated us from God the Father, forever delivering us from our sin.
Life circumstances can weigh us down, but Psalm 118:24, ESV tells us: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Even if we don’t see anything good in our life, we can be joyful that this is the day that the LORD has made, as the Psalm tells us. Our life can be filled with joy in this knowledge.
2. We Can Rejoice in God’s Loving Care
Worry manifests itself in many forms. Whether it’s over a test at school, a job interview, or something as serious as a chronic illness, worrying can destroy our lives.
Matthew 6:25-26, ESV, states “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
This verse tells us about the loving care in which God clothes the sparrows—and how exponentially more valuable we are to God. If God pays such attention to the sparrows, He will certainly take care of us!
Matthew 6:27, ESV, which is the following verse, asks, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
These verses show that worrying is pointless, because we can rest in the fact that God will take care of us.
Instead of agonizing over things, let’s try and remember the steadfast love of our heavenly Father. Let’s take what worries us to God in prayer, casting our anxieties on Him knowing He cares so much for us (1 Peter 5:7).
3. We Can Rejoice in the Knowledge of Our Eternal Reward
Sadness can rob our lives of joy, yet as Christians, we know that there are better days to come. Philippians 3:20, ESV, tells us “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ.”
No matter what trials we go through in life, we belong to the LORD Jesus Christ. Life forever with Him in Heaven is our eternal reward. Our joy can come from this knowledge. As children of God, we can rest in the fact that Heaven will be a place with no more tears or pain or suffering. No more disappointment. No more loss of loved ones. No more sickness.
In Romans 8:18, ESV, we are told “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
This verse tells us that nothing on earth can compare to the glory that we will experience in Heaven.
Colossians 1:5a, ESV, tells us “Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.” Our hope is not in earthly gain but in Christ. Circumstances will try to rob our joy here on earth, but we have the eternal, unfading hope of Christ to get us through. We can rely on Him in all things. This eternal hope never fails and is a constant reminder of our calling to live for Christ and share this lasting hope with others.
Rejoice Always
Rejoicing is not an easy thing to do. But it is something every Christian is called to do.
Philippians 4:4 challenges us, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
Instead of letting circumstances steal our joy, let’s choose to rejoice in what God has done for us, rest in His loving care, and celebrate in the hope of our eternal reward!
