This was the verse for my quiet time this morning.
I confess, I had a hard time with this verse this morning.
Family friends are dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one with this week.
COVID19 statistics and projections are constantly being presented every time you go online or turn on the TV or radio.
Fear and anxiety over the safety and well-being of loved ones as it relates to this crisis.
Sadness and dismay hearing news reports of those suffering from this illness.
Sadness because of so many empty locked churches across our country and world.
Fear and anxiety about jobs and financial situations as a result of this crisis.
How does one rejoice when all the above is swirling around us?
Go back to the basics.
This is why we as Christians CAN REJOICE in spite of our circumstances.
No matter what we face in this life, we can rejoice because the Lord offers the gift of eternity with Him in Heaven if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
When we accept that gift, we have a reason to rejoice each and every day. We are saved! We are redeemed! We are loved by Almighty God .
Then as we strive to live a life that glorifies the Lord, we start to be grateful each and every day for the ways we seeing God work and move in our lives and the lives around us. The every days acts of mercy and blessing we experience, the miracles we experience. And in those times of great trouble and difficulty when things are not going as we would like, we can rejoice because we are not alone. Jesus is right beside us offering us comfort, love, and peace to endure our trials and tribulations.
I realized this morning that being joyful is not my immediate and automatic response during difficult times of life. I pray the Lord will help me to be more diligent and deliberate to choose to rejoice.
"...and again I say rejoice!"
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