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“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”  Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

The book of Philippians has often been known for its repetitive use of the term joy.  There are numerous references (at least 10) to rejoicing or joy, so we would naturally assume Paul is in his happy place.  However, while writing Philippians, Paul is in prison for preaching the gospel. Definitely not my idea of a happy place – physically constrained. Yet Paul isn’t zeroed in on his circumstances or suffering.

As he opens up in Chapter 3, Paul unpacks the source of His joy – “Finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord.”  If we look up the word rejoice it references a feeling, happiness or great delight.  But when we put the word rejoice connected to the word “in” it takes on a deeper meaning. Rejoice in means to possess joy.  What’s that look like?  Simply put it’s moving from a feeling to a life controlled by the fruit of the Spirit which encompasses joy.  And the source of that joy is the Lord not our feelings or circumstances.

In a given day (or year) lots of things and/or people attempt to steal our happy.  We can start a day off great and within 5 seconds or 5 minutes, happy can quickly evaporate.  But real joy is eternal…joy is fruit….joy is evidence of God’s Spirit ruling over our emotions, circumstances and life.  The secret difference is “in”, we must take possession of the joy which is fully available to us as believers.  Even in the midst of life’s worst scenarios, we can experience and exhibit the joy found in the Lord – fully aware of His sovereignty and divine intervention in the story of our lives.

“Don’t let your happiness depend on something you might lose,” is how C.S. Lewis unpacks joy. We are securely His and nothing can take us away from God – not even our most strategic enemy. Money, careers, relationships, etc. may dissolve but God is forever by our side. Despite suffering and heartache, we can choose to rest joyfully in Him knowing He’s working through all things touching our lives.

In a given day there are many reasons to miss happy. Frustration, fear, stress, uncertainty; the list is endless. Yet, we can have true joy if we choose to actively possess what is already ours.  By yielding to the fruit of the Spirit, we like Paul can rise above happy stealers and encourage others along the way.

“Father, our eyes can easily get locked into temporary pleasures and when they fade discouragement can settle in. Help us to rejoice in You regardless of what is happening around us.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life