Rejoicing in the Lord always is every believer’s undeniable privilege (Phil 4:4). Importantly this does not mean we will be in a constant state of happiness.  Many of us, like the saints we read about in the scriptures, can feel frightened, lonely, sad, upset or even worse. However, no matter how we feel or how difficult or threatening a situation is, we can always rejoice in the Lord!

Rejoicing always (1 Th 5:16) is possible because God has promised we will never be crushed, driven to despair, forsaken or destroyed.  This is despite being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted or struck down (2 Cor 4:8-9).

We can be confident that He will deliver on his promise because

• He is our great high priest who has passed through the heavens … who sympathises with our weaknesses … (Heb 4:14-15)
• He is our friend who loves us more than anyone else can (Luk19:10, Joh 15:13)
• He is our saviour, who is preparing a place for us and is coming back to take us to be with him forever. (Joh 14:3)
• He is our protector, who is the living one, who died, and is alive forevermore, and has the keys of Death and Hades. (Rev 1:18)