Rejoice in the Lord always.

well everybody knows where this vs is from.

is it really practically possible to rejoice in the lord always.

Don Moen, presently the President of Integrity Music, related  the following earthshaking story of tragedy and death, which led to the writing of one of Christendom’s most meaningful songs. Don’s sister-in-law, Susan Phelps, and her husband Craig, were involved in a car accident during a ski trip from their Oklahoma home to a resort in Colorado. Far out in the Texas panhandle their van was hit by an eighteen wheeler. A rear panel of the van was hit with such force that all four of the Phelps’ children were thrown out.

In the darkness they were able to locate all of their injured children by their crying -- all except one. Craig, who was a physician, finally located him beside a nearby fence. He was already dead. His neck had been broken.

As Craig picked up his son and tried to revive him, God said to him, “Jeremy is with me. You deal with those who are living.” They sat for forty-five minutes out in the wilderness waiting for an ambulance.

Don had been asked to sing for the funeral, so the next day while traveling by plane to Oklahoma, he began to read in Isaiah chapter 43 where God says, I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” He picked up his legal pad and sketched a song that the Lord was giving him He planned to sing it at the memorial service. When he arrived he found that the Phelps had already selected Henry Smith’s song, Give Thanks, for him to sing.

After the funeral Don, while holding Susan and Craig in his arms, said, “The Lord gave me a song for you,” and he began to sing God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He later made a taped copy of the song for Susan to play on her small cassette player just above her kitchen sink. He knew that when all of the people had gone, and everything was said and done, that there would be days when she needed to hear that God was working in ways that she couldn’t see.

Don continued, “About two years later I was called to sing in a small church in Dothan, Alabama. Although I had never intended to sing God Will Make a Way in a public service -- I had written it just for that grieving family -- somehow I felt impressed of the Lord to share the song with those people. I did so, and it had a tremendous impact on them.”

Give thanks and God will make a way??? what amazing faith

what i intend to say is that rejoicing shouldn't depend on your circumstances.

you might have had a bad day in work or school.

you might have had a bad day with your friends

you might have had a bad day with your son

you might have lost someone very significant in your life.

come what may Jesus has asked you to rejoice in the lord always. and again i say rejoice. you might be sad. you might feel like crying. your heart might be heavy because of grief.but that should not prevent you from rejoicing IN THE LORD. 

that should be the difference.

2 cor. 7.16 says - i rejoice because i have perfect confidence in you.

that should be the reason for our rejoicing.

Habakkuk:3:17-19

though the fig tree should not blossom nor fruit be on the vines

the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield  no food

the flocks be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls

yet i will rejoice in the lord

i will take joy in the god of my salvation lord the lord is my strength

he makes my feet like the deer's he makes me tread on my high places

daily i might not have experiences as don moen had. but i too had my share of salty pie in my christian life as well. which might not be significant for others. but had definitely the power to destroy me. but this particular verse. phil:4:4 has sustained me.

i have heard one of my senior say about this word -  that it is a command for us to obey to rejoice always. not a word of encouragement. AMEN

moral of the story: rejoice in the lord always and it is a command to be obeyed.