Joy in Sorrow: How to Obey God’s Call to Rejoice in All Circumstances

As people living in a fallen world and in fallen bodies, we all suffer difficulties, pain, and hardships. It is no different for Christians. Yet, as we go through these things and deal with them, we are called to rejoice; that’s different. But we’re not just called to rejoice we’re commanded to rejoice always, not some of the times. This exhortation, along with the exhortations to pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 applies to all Christians everywhere in every situation. But how can Christians rejoice always? How can we have joy amid our heartache, pain, sicknesses, sufferings, and death? Even as we know the Bible teaches us that we will go through tribulations and suffering and that God Himself has ordained this for us, how do we do that with joy? Join us on the Straight Truth Podcast this week as Dr. Josh Philpot presents Dr. Richard Caldwell with these questions, seeking biblical answers to help us understand what it means to be joyful and rejoice even though our emotions seem to be saying something different.

Dr. Caldwell explains that believers can have more than one emotion operating in their hearts concurrently. The Word of God acknowledges this. In this same letter to the Thessalonians, where the Apostle Paul exhorts believers to rejoice always, he speaks of believers grieving over the loss of believers who have passed away. They grieved, and we grieve also. But as believers, we grieve differently than those who are lost because of the hope we have in Christ, the hope in a future resurrection. Just because a believer is sad, discouraged, or disheartened doesn’t mean they are sinning. Where sin enters the picture is where a believer is experiencing those emotions but refuses to rejoice at the same time. But what do we rejoice in when our circumstances have stirred up these painful and seemingly overwhelming emotions? We rejoice in the truth. We believe the truth of God’s Word and what He says about our life in Christ, about those we love who know Christ, about our life here until He returns, about those in Christ who pass now, about resurrection life, and about what our future will be. We rejoice in what the Lord has done, continues to do, and will do in the future. We’re called to live our lives in faith, by faith, in the Son of God, which means bringing God’s truth into the picture, whatever circumstances or feelings we’re dealing with.

It’s through everything we experience in life that we are being conformed to the image of Christ. This is how Romans 8:28 figures into God’s plan and purposes, and we can rejoice. Everything we go through is being used to shape, mold, and form us into the very likeness of Christ. We are called to embrace this perspective found in the truth God has given us and rejoice always in it. That’s why the book of James calls us to count it all joy when we encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the trying of our faith produces steadfastness. That steadfastness has all these benefits that James goes on to list. We must bring all this additional information into the picture regardless of whatever we are battling.

Can we prepare ourselves beforehand to rejoice in these trials and difficulties, whatever the circumstance? We can. But, the only way to prepare is by knowing the Scriptures, and you have to know the Lord in order to have access to this. We’ve got to be learning the Scriptures, knowing the truth, and living our lives by faith. We have to believe the truth and practice the truth. It’s only by doing this we derive the benefits. The Lord allows our trials and regulates them, not allowing us to go through things we aren’t ready for or that He hasn’t equipped us for. These trials are for testing our spiritual muscles to get us to the place where the genuineness of our faith is on display through whatever it is that we are facing in life. We can’t prepare for what is years down the road except to prepare by believing God today. As we do this day by day, we are being prepared for the circumstances we will meet with that God planned for us in all eternity past. We believe Him right now in our present circumstances and keep believing and trusting Him as we walk in each day that He gives us. This is the only way we get ready and will be prepared for all God has in store for our future.