Happy almost October sweet friends!
The plan this month is on something we are all told to ALWAYS do:
Rejoice in the Lord
I start working on the scripture plan for a month at the beginning of the preceding month and as I sat to write this today (at the end of September), I had to smile because I'm pretty sure God had me pick this topic because He knew I would need a reminder right about now because I am not feeling like rejoicing right now. He's good like that isn't He? He always provides exactly what we need, exactly when we need it!
Probably the most popular verses about rejoicing is Philippians 4:4.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
I think people struggle with this because they misunderstand it. Although we are called to give thanks to God in everything, we are not called to rejoice OVER everything. Read that verse again. It doesn't say Rejoice about everything, it says Rejoice in the Lord always. Rejoicing in the Lord isn't about our circumstances, it's about our relationship with and our posture towards Him. No matter what my life looks like, no matter what ugly circumstances I am in, no matter what grief I am in the middle of, God will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be worthy of my rejoicing and praise.
Giving thanks to God in all things is bowing to His sovereignty and rejoicing in Him is a celebration of it. Our true joy is found solely in the Lord. Not in our circumstances, not in the people in our lives, not our situations, but completely and totally in Him. We must look up to Him and not at the insanity, brokenness, sadness, and heartache going on around us. We must trade our anxieties in for grateful and humble communion with God. We must rest in the peace of God, even when it doesn't make sense to the world, staying rooted and grounded in Christ.
My prayer is that this month, regardless of our circumstances, we are reminded that He is the author of our story and the keeper of our heart. I pray that we are reminded to rejoice IN Him for He alone is worthy to be praised and rejoiced over ALWAYS!
