The Choice to Rejoice

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. — Psalm 5:11-12

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are to be joyful and glad as we walk with the King. Most of us can do it — when everything is going well. But how do we shout for joy when life has kicked us to the curb? How can we rejoice if everything is going wrong?

Rejoicing is a choice, and it is not based on circumstances.

Rejoicing is based on the Lord and His goodness and grace. Paul, writing from his incarceration in Rome, wrote in Philippians 4:4,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! — NASB

Make no mistake: Paul didn’t rejoice about imprisonment (that was not his heart’s desire); he rejoiced in the Lord… and that is the key.

Circumstances change with the wind, but the Lord never changes. As we focus on Him, we can rejoice and shout praises to His name. We can know that His blessings come even in the hard times. He is faithful to us every step of the way, and He uses our difficulties to teach us to trust Him.

So what do you say? Will you make the choice to rejoice in the Lord?

God, help me set my eyes on You. Help me remember that You are my Rock and my Fortress. Thank You for loving me and surrounding me with Your favor. I am so blessed. Jesus, how can I fail to rejoice? Amen.

~Dr. Jeff Schreve, First Baptist Church, Texarkana, TX

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Something to Shout About

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. — Psalm 89:14-15

The “joyful sound” in this verse is the shout of God’s people when they saw the Lord lifted high. The Bible encourages us to shout to God. Psalm 47:1 says,

O, clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. — KJV

Many times we shout and make noise at sporting event or even at a county fair. We clap and cheer. But when we come to church, we act like we’re at a funeral. This should not be the case, because we are meant to rejoice and shout about Jesus.

The psalmist also exhorts:

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! — Psalm 100:1

Rejoicing in the Lord is a recurring theme in the book of Psalms. Christians should be excited at all the blessings God has bestowed upon them. When the world looks at Christians, they should see people who rejoice daily in the Lord’s blessings.

Lord, may I always have a shout in my heart for You! Let me never take Your blessings for granted, and may others see my rejoicing in You, amen.

Excerpted with permission from Touched by the Truth, copyright Thomas Nelson.

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Your Turn

Today is the day that the Lord has made. Let’s rejoice in it! No matter what you are going through today, you can rejoice in Jesus. Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you about rejoicing! ~ Devotionals Daily