As I’ve been reading in the Psalms lately I’ve had this
running commentary in my head: “‘Sing to the Lord a new song’ (Psalm 98:1)… Maybe later, God… ‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (100:1)… Not right now, if You
don’t mind.” But on top of that I was reminded of Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in
the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (ESV), along with 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” In both of
those passages, the command to “rejoice always” comes in the middle of a long
line of other commands. Paul certainly makes it sound like it is something that
we are capable of doing.
It seems odd that an emotion would be commanded, and whole
books have been written on the subject (Faithful
Feelings is one I’ve read). I decided to go back to the source and look at
the Greek. The word used in both of these Scriptures is χαίρετε, and HELPS Word
Studies says: “properly, to delight in God’s grace (‘rejoice’) – literally, to experience God’s grace (favor), be
conscious (glad) for His grace” (http://biblehub.com/greek/5463.htm).
That puts a whole new
spin on things. Paul isn’t saying “Jump up and down with joy at all times.” Nor
is he saying we should go through life making comments like, “I just totaled my
car; praise the Lord!” What he is saying is that we should live with a daily consciousness
of God’s grace, and as we do, that will color our experience of the varying
circumstances of life. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience sorrow and pain.
Elsewhere Paul says he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians
6:10) using the same Greek root. It’s okay to be sorrowful while living with an
awareness of God’s presence, provision, and protection.
So going back to the Psalms, some of the “new songs” that we
sing may be songs of God’s faithfulness in the midst of mourning; a “joyful
noise” may be prayers of thanksgiving for who God is and all He has done by His
grace. The knowledge and experience of God’s grace in the past gives us patience
for today and hopeful expectation for the future.
Relevant Magazine
recently posted the following:
“‘Blessed are those who mourn.’
This truth seems to be missing in certain Sunday morning positive thinking
tutorials. It’s as if we’ve come to believe that a smile is definitive proof of
what we believe, but a smile doesn’t mean that your faith is any more real or
alive than the faith of someone in tears” (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/sadness-doesnt-mean-we-are-struggling-our-faith#kZyZQhH1EsKcfUEk.99).
I keep encountering people who are tired of
the happy-Christian façade. Even on Facebook, where we only see what people
want us to see, friends are encouraging others to be more real. We can serve
one another, not by being pseudo-joyful, but by pointing one another to true
rejoicing in God’s grace and bringing that back to our consciousness even in
the midst of sorrow.
My paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Be always alert to
God’s grace, live in constant communion with God, remember His goodness at all
times, for this is the delight of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
