By[4] “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)
How does it feel to receive encouragement from someone whom you know that he’s facing a lot of troubles? Quite refreshing, right? When Paul wrote the epistle to the Philippian church, he was in prison. He could have told them to feel sorrowful for his imprisonment and thereby encouraged them to pray for his release. But the man of God told them to rejoice in the Lord always. And to my surprise, he emphasised what he said in the same verse, as you can see in the verse above.
Challenges in serving God didn’t start today. It has always been there, even in the Old Testament. David said in Psalm 34:19 (ESV) that,
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”
So enduring afflictions, either because of your faith or circumstances in life, is part and parcel of your life as a believer. But the most important thing to understand is that through it all, don’t lose hold of Jesus.
Rejoicing in the Lord always helps you to maintain a merry heart, even in the face of terrible situations. Ensure that you pray consistently, both for yourself and others. You’ll not lose heart.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for encouraging me to rejoice in You always. Help me to maintain a merry heart always, even in the face of terrible troubles. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2024 – 190
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