Rejoice

“ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” ~ Philippians 4:4

Philippi should have been a place that Paul wanted to forget. Acts 16 tells the story. It was in Philippi that Paul confronted a girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. Paul commanded the spirit to come out and then the trouble started. Paul and Silas were accused and brought before the city authorities. The authorities had them beaten in public. Rods marked the backs of these men. Pain filled the moments. Torturous. Agonizing. And then prison. A night in chains. A time of darkness when abused muscles become stiff and sore. When pain throbs through the body. After prison was the abrupt request by the town officials to leave. Paul was being kicked out. Yes, it should have been a place to forget. Yet Paul writes to this same church and tells them to rejoice…always.
Amid the confrontation, pain, and imprisonment, Acts 16 shows us a place of belief, and surrender, and hope. Lydia and her household become followers of Jesus in the first days of Paul’s ministry. Beaten and bruised, Paul and Silas find a reason to sing. A jailer become a brother. A church becomes a supporter. Philippi is a place that Paul will never forget, because Philippi is a place where God was moving and changing the lives of people.
Rejoicing is not about everything going our way. It is not about me feeling good. Rejoicing is not tied into my happiness. Rejoicing calls me to see God in this moment. It doesn’t matter what else inhabits this moment. Pain, pleasure, hurt, or hope. All that matters is God in this place, at this time. When I can see God, I can rejoice. I can open my mouth and my heart and pour out praise on the One who shapes and transforms. I can surrender into His care and His healing. I can follow in obedience the path that He sets. I can find joy in the presence of the One who never leaves me, and never forsakes me.