Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Paul played a one-stringed theme in his life following the Damascus Road. His answer to all of life’s problems is the Lord. Notice in this chapter of his letter to the church where this verse lies. It’s ink flows beneath the revelation of tensions between two women in the church. In an atmosphere of rejoicing in the Lord all discord dies. Troubling thoughts are overcome by thoughts of the Lord and His love, His goodness, His wisdom, His power and His care. The Lord does not make any mistakes…in fact He is so powerful that He even uses our mistakes for our own good!
Life can be tough…even grim. Sometimes we are called to bear burdens that can crush us. Separations of death, struggle of illness, regrets and remorse are woven into our days. Paul’s solution is always the same… think about the Lord, not in that which overwhelms us. The Psalms are very honest in the fact that we do walk through dark valleys, even shadows of death. But the Psalmist is equally truthful in his declaration that the Lord is with us (Psalm 23:4)!
The Lord can restore great seasons of life that we have tragically wasted “years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). He can bind-up and heal the pain of the “brokenhearted” (Isa. 61:1). Wonderfully He can take what was intended for evil and turn it into good (Gen. 50:20). “He is able to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:21). The Lord has the power. We may have to limp like Jacob to the end of our days on earth. We may be broken because of our past, but the end of the story for the believer is not on this earth. In the soon place of Heaven the wise and loving Lord will give us back what we foolishly squandered off or robbed ourselves of.
Simply stated—God is always good! He is too wise to make any mistakes, too loving to be unkind, too powerful to be thwarted, and too involved in all that concerns us to be aloof. How can we think of the Lord and not rejoice? Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!
Maranatha!