Philippians 4:4 , “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Psychologists tell us that it is impossible to rejoice all the time and under all circumstances. People feel sad when loved ones die. They cry when they discover that they have been afflicted by a terminal disease. They are depressed when they grow old and useless and a deep sense of hopelessness creeps in. This has been their findings from many case studies. When you are in prison, tormented by enemies inside and outside of prison, loved ones are crying and you are powerless to help, how can you rejoice all the time!
When Paul the Apostle wrote these words by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was languishing in prison waiting to be martyred. The ministries that God caused him to found were growing and many of these churches had numerous problems, hence the many New Testament epistles written by him to resolve both doctrinal and personal issues. His heart was burdened for their well being. Paul’s enemies made his life miserable taunting him while he was in prison whereas they were out there freely preaching the gospel hoping that this will add to his afflictions. Despite all the turmoil and physical sufferings he had to bear he commanded the Christian to rejoice in the Lord always.
Is this really possible? To rejoice does not mean that the Christian is laughing out loud all the time from the moment he wakes up. If he does that, then he needs to see a doctor. The Greek Lexicon describes the word “rejoice” as “to be cheer-ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off.” It is calmness within the Christian’s soul even when the world around him collapses. All is well in his soul ALL the time. This is not psychological mumbo-jumbo that is bandied by the world and sadly even by some pastors. There is that form of positive thinking that denies reality but exists in a virtual world which is nothing but a Kierkegaardian existentialism that has been rejected by fundamentalists since its inception in the mid-Nineteenth Century. It is not a switching of attitude or mindset that Paul was advocating. It is a reality that is found in the life of every true Christian believer! Hence Paul wrote . . . Rejoice IN THE LORD!
The object of our rejoicing is not from within us per se, like a form of Zen experience, but is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is a rejoicing that is based upon WHO Christ is, our Saviour, blessed Redeemer, Provider, Protector, and last but not least our God Almighty! How could anything “bad” therefore happen to us when we have such a great and powerful and caring and compassionate God? It is also a rejoicing that is based upon WHAT Jesus Christ has done for us on the Cross of Calvary! He died for us and rose from the dead for our justification. He defeated death for all of us who have put our faith and trust in Him. Isn’t death what we sinners are most afraid of? Jesus Christ tasted death for us so that we need not fear and taste death. Death is to the Christian sleep! Death is to the Christian graduation! He has absolutely nothing to fear for he knows without a doubt where he will be the moment he breathes his last and final breath . . . safe in the arms of our loving and blessed Saviour!
If our fear is not death but persecution and suffering, then Jesus says in Romans 8:28 , “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Nothing bad can happen to God’s children. If we have gone wayward God will chastise us and bring us back to the right path as our Loving Heavenly Father. When He wants us to grow in our faith and trust in Him, then He will allow trials to come our way that we may learn patience and thus mature in our faith toward perfection. As James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” The word for “joy” is the same word, only in noun form, as used in Philippians 4:4 .
There is truly absolutely nothing that the Christian should be afraid of or fear or allow to come into his life that should rob him of this joy! Perhaps there is only one thing that might rob the Christian of this joy which is part of the abundant life that Christ has promised every believer. That thing is called sin! When a Christian lives a disobedient life and walks in sin, his fellowship with God is broken and God will not even hear his prayers! (see Psalm 66:18 ). In fact his disobedience to God’s law renders his prayers as an abomination to God! Proverbs 28:9 says, “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” But when the disobedient believer repents, his fellowship with God is restored and the rejoicing in the Lord returns to his soul.
The Apostle knows that to rejoice in the Lord alway (i.e. at all times) is very hard to achieve. Hence he re-emphasizes it by saying “again I say Rejoice!” In both the usages of the word “rejoice,” Paul used the Present Imperative. This means that it is a command and not an option and the present tense tells us that it is a continuous command we need to obey till we see Christ face to face.
Dear reader, rejoice in the Lord at all times. This is our God given privilege that the world cannot have and will never experience! As an obedient child of God, are you calmly happy in your soul? Every Christian should be! Praise the LORD! Amen!