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"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4).
As followers of Christ, many of us might be surprised to know that God never promised us happiness. What He did promise us is that if we stay close to Him, He will help us find purpose in our lives and guide us through them. Are we actively and properly living out His intentions for us and glorifying Him — whether it be through trials or triumphs? Is our default setting to always find reasons to rejoice in the Lord?
It might seem hard and uncomfortable when God uses us. In these moments, do we find ourselves becoming more concerned with our relief rather than with God’s glory? Paul writes in the letter he wrote to the Philippians while under house arrest: God strengthens us to do more than we think. Paul’s God-inspired words remind us we are to be content with whatever we have — to live on almost nothing or with everything (Philippians 4:11-13). Have we learned the secret or the lesson to living in every situation — full stomach or empty, with plenty or little? Are we making it just where we are?
No restless discontent can change our lot in life or our overall set of conditions. We must not allow our circumstances to define our sense of security. Rather, we ought to automatically turn to God and trust His power — that same power, the resurrection power, that raised Jesus from the dead. The true victory is not found in escaping or evading trials but in rightly meeting and enduring them, just as Jesus did — our well-proven help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). As God reminds Job in the midst of his sorrow, there are things he simply cannot know (Job, chapters 38-41). Instead of asking why, let us ask what can be done through our afflictions to show God’s presence. That through the trials (and the triumphs), the power and love of God can be seen. When hardships naturally tempt us as sinner saints to feel defeated, instead may we look forward to praising God as our Savior … hard, but beautiful.
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