You are persecuted? Rejoice! You are facing trials? Rejoice! This is Paul’s exhortation.
I am a people-watcher. It sounds creepy, but I just love to sit and watch people walk by, look at their facial expressions, and wonder what they are thinking. It is a great way to kill time, and it's also a great way to end up worried about the state of the people around you. Most of the faces I notice are anything but joyful; most look miserable.
Even in our day to day, most of the time, we walk around with a scowl rather than a smile. We look defeated rather than hopeful. As believers, when the world looks at us, we should not be overcome with sorrow - we are filled with hope, which produces unshakable joy.
How is it that we have no joy, especially as believers? The world is broken and the struggle around us is real. Everyone feels it deeply, and there is a great weight that rests upon everyone. Suicide, anxiety, and depression rates are higher than they have ever been.
A Lack of True Joy
It has never been more evident that the world lacks true joy.
My husband and I recently attended the funeral of a twenty-four-year-old who committed suicide. The young man had so much ahead, so many possibilities, and brighter days to come. It’s heartbreaking how this world seeks to ravage us.
Scripture is an incredible thing because it speaks to the very heart of who we are. In it, God speaks to anxiety, suffering, and joy (among many other things).
There is a theology of joy in the Bible. Paul often is the one who speaks of joy in his letters. There is an irony to this reality that the one who suffered great persecution and anguish still encourages his fellow believers to pursue joy. It is evidenced across the New Testament that joy is necessary, and the reminder to rejoice is needed.
Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
2 Corinthians 6:10: “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”
Romans 5:3: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope…”
Acts 5:41: “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16: “Rejoice always.”
It is interesting how Paul’s command to rejoice is often attached to our idea of suffering. It is because in our suffering we should be most reminded to rejoice.
The mistake that we so often make, at least that I so often make, is to forget that joy is not contingent on everything going my way. True joy has no need to rely on my attitude or the attitude of others. It is not necessary that all things go perfectly in order for me to experience joy.
In fact, it might be the opposite. Joy is not contingent upon me or my circumstances but it is contingent upon Christ alone.
Joy Is Eternal
My joy is not in the temporal, it is in the eternal.
I learned this several years ago when I really began to struggle with anxiety as an adult. This is not just a general fear or apprehension. I am referencing months of being unable to function because I was crushed under the weight of spiraling thoughts and a panicked mind and body. It was a frightening time for me. I thought I would never get out of the prison I felt I had found myself in.
The irony was, early that year when I chose a word for the year, my choice was joy. I was determined to walk in joy that year in new ways. I was determined to rest in true joy no matter what.
Well the Lord, sure saw fit for me to learn what true joy actually meant because I had to live it out in the darkness.
I don’t exaggerate when I say those days were hard. I mean it. There were times when putting pants on and even getting out of bed took everything I had. It took months of intensive counseling and a short medication stent to get me to a functional place. I doubted and questioned, how could I, as a teacher of God’s Word and a leader of women, not be able to find my way out of this. How is it that I am stuck here?
That is the thing about darkness and difficult days. When they come, they cause you to doubt and worry about things that God has well in hand. I had taken my eyes away from the truth and placed them on the struggles of my mind.
Thankfully, my joy isn’t actually contingent on the struggles of my mind. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
I wasn’t asking the right questions. I wasn’t seeing my circumstances for what they were - a lesson in true joy.
True joy is brought about by the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” This joy is not something I can muster up because this joy is not happiness. This joy is contentment; this joy is evidence that this world is not my home and the temporal will fade. This joy is the reminder that my trials and suffering are not without purpose in God’s hands, and of this, I can be confident.
When Paul commands his fellow believers in Thessalonica to “rejoice always.” I believe he says it with compassion. Just as we do when we offer comfort to a struggling friend. We know our words are easy to say, but walking them out is something altogether different. We can say it will be okay because we know it will be; however, in the dark moments, it doesn’t feel possible.
The encouragement to the church comes amidst persecution and great tribulation. You are persecuted? Rejoice! You are facing trials? Rejoice! This is Paul’s exhortation. No matter the trials or struggles of this life, we rejoice because we are in Christ.
Photo Credit: ©Pixabay/Wokandapix
Michelle Rabon is helping women be disciples who make disciples. Michelle has her MDiv in Ministry to Women from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently serving as Women’s Ministry Director in her local church. She is also the author of Holy Mess. When she is not writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, being close to the ocean, and drinking a lot of coffee. You can connect with Michelle at www.michellerabon.com
