Posted on November 16, 2022

Rejoice in the Lord always?

‘R ejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7) In 1988, Bobby McFerrin recorded one of the biggest hits of the 1980’s and some have said it is one of the best “one-hit wonders” of all time. I am sure most people are familiar with the song he recorded although they may not recognize the name of the artist, and I am also sure that at some point over the last 34 years, you have probably sung “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. This song captivated many and was used by presidential candidates, it has been used in commercials, and has been played many times in television shows. Many would be surprised to hear of the aftereffects this song had on the artist that wrote and recorded this song.

After the overwhelming success of the song, Bobby Mc-Ferrin would not “be happy” with the song. He refused to preform it on stage, and although he made several albums after 1988, he never saw commercial success with any of his work like he had with “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.

In Philippians 4, the apostle Paul encouraged the church to “Rejoice in the Lord, always”. This is a favorite verse of many but then there are some that might find this one of the most difficult verses to obey. If this verse was commanding that Christians could never have any emotion other than joy and happiness every moment of our lives, then I suppose this would be a difficult verse to obey. The truth is, sometimes we are overwhelmed with other emotions. When dealing with the death of a loved one, we may be overwhelmed with grief as death has separated us from our loved ones. It is said that society is more anxious and more depressed now than it has ever been, and when looking at the things taking place in this world, we can understand why some might feel that way. What is meant by saying “Rejoice in the Lord, always”? Is this a command to never show any emotion other than pure happiness or is there more than what we may think?

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

The command is given to rejoice, this is obvious and cannot be denied. The Greek word translated “rejoice” in our English text is the word “chairo” and is defined as “to be full of joy; to be overflowing with cheerfulness, to be happy”. This is not the only time in this letter that the apostle Paul encouraged the church at Philippi to rejoice and a closer look at the four chapters of this book will show the saturation of the theme of “rejoicing in the Lord”. It is of interest that Paul would encourage the brethren to rejoice. Paul was one who could have very easily become discouraged with his work as an apostle. A quick glance at 2 Corinthians 11:23ff will show the many things that Paul endured for the preaching of the Gospel, and in the next chapter, Paul would plead with the Lord, three times, to remove his thorn in the flesh, but was told by the Lord “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Cor. 12:10).

While Paul was a prisoner in Rome, when he was in shipwreck, when he was beaten, when he was stoned and left for dead, in every situation Paul was in, he was still able to rejoice in the Lord.

How many Christians do we know that are rejoicing in the Lord, regardless of their current situation? How many Christians do we know that have become discouraged and have quit the faith because of difficulties?

To which of the two groups do you belong? Paul was not rejoicing for the sake of not complaining or being pessimistic, but he was able to rejoice because he was “in the Lord”. The reason Christians can continually rejoice is because of Jesus, and the remission of sins available in His blood that was shed for us (Matt. 26:29; Heb.

9:22). Those that obey the commands of Jesus, and put Him on in baptism (Gal.

3:27ff), can walk in the light as He is in the light, and have fellowship with God (1 John 1:7-9). Those that have obeyed the commands of Jesus can always rejoice because they have counted all but loss and have won Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). Regardless of what happens in this life, those that are faithful unto death will be able to receive the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). There is a way to be able to always “rejoice in the Lord”.

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:5–6). After giving the charge to rejoice, Paul sets forth a pattern by which Christians can rejoice.

Those that want to continually rejoice in the Lord should “let your moderation be known unto all men”.

Moderation is defined as “gentleness” or “forbearance” and is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22. Gentleness is not something that we should have to be reminded of, but from time to time we do need the reminder. How do we let our moderation be made known unto all?

This is done by the life that we live, by the example we set forth, by being the light of the world (Matt. 5:16).

To prove the importance of letting our moderation being made known to all, the reminder is given “the Lord is at hand”. A parent may remind their children “God is watching” in attempts to keep the child from doing something they should not be doing, but sometimes the “grown-ups” need this warning too (Psalm 145:1819). Also built within the pattern of rejoicing in the Lord is the command to “be careful for nothing”. Other translations may read “do not be anxious”. This truly is “easier said than done”.

Built within human nature is the anxiety everyone has from time to time (and rightfully so at times).

Worry is something that drives many as they worry about work, school, home, life, etc. Notice the words following the phrase “be careful for nothing” and we may find the best way to combat the anxiety we all face. Perhaps the best way to deal with anxiety is to be constant in prayer, letting our request be made known unto God. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts ever given to Christians, and we have been assured that we can have confidence in prayer (1 John 5:14-15), knowing that God will hear us when we call out to Him.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Knowing that we are in Christ, and always having the ability to let our request be made known unto God, should give Christians a sense of peace. The world is not a peaceful place. There are wars between nations, wars between individuals, crime is always on the rise, and the cry for peace is heard throughout the world. The only way to have ultimate peace is not found within this world, but it is supplied in Jesus Christ. When we follow the pattern of Philippians 4:4-6, then we will have the peace that passes all understanding.

When we have been added to the body of Christ, and are faithfully serving Him, then we can have the assurance that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and knowing this we truly can rejoice in the Lord always!