Rejoice in the Lord Always
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord Alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. Habakkuk 3:18 “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.” Psalm 100:1-5 “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations.”
Psalm 126:1-6 “A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; [whereof] we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [with him].” Psalm 37:4-5 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.” Quote: “When we desire God’s will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. We can stop worrying about things that are out of our control and find freedom in trusting God and knowing that “He has our Back!” Proverbs 15:13a “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:” In other words, laughter is good for our souls and lifts our hearts heavenward. God delights in our laughter just as parents love to hear their children laugh. He rejoices when we trust him enough to live our lives joyfully! If we insist on carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, we will live a miserable life and, worse than that…miss out on the joy of God’s presence.” {MG 34} by Brenda Walsh.
All Parents and Guardians know that when laughter and squeals of delight ring out from the Back Yard, then all is well, silence is scary, and fears multiply rapidly and adults rush forwards with hearts pounding when the sounds of tears of hurt, and fear are heard. God is trying to tell us the same thing, he is compassionately involved in our lives and is constantly listening to us, so is God relaxed and delighting in your squeals of delight and laughter, your songs of happiness and joy, or has things gone deathly quiet in your corner, or worse, are there tears of hurt and pain coming from your mouth? Let us be creative with this text in line with our Title, Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name.” So when was the last time your “Prayer Session” started with Hymns and songs of Praise? God loves to hear from us, he loves to hear those squeals of laughter and delight, they calm his soul, silence is not golden, and “tears are massive fears.” Ancient Israel were encouraged to go to war with choirs leading them, to sing as they worked the fields and carried out their chores, to sing as you go and to keep on singing. So how well do you and I sing and pray? Oft our prayers are nothing more than an offensive list of, “Give me this, and sort out that.”
We are told that in the Jewish Temple Service, there were choirs singing 24/7, they never stopped night or day, from singing praises to God. In Ireland with Patrick, Comgall, Columba and the others, when they set up their new training school at Bangor, in the “Valley of the Angels” in Northern Ireland, they set aside 1000 of their team, and set them up into three groups, and from then onwards, there was constant Prayer and Praise 24/7, called “Laus Perennis,” ceaseless prayer and praise to God night and day, until they were eventually forced to shut down and to leave. How is it in Heaven right now? Revelation 4:8 “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” From this and other verses of scripture, we can be very certain that “Prayer and Praise” is going non-stop in Heaven, and when we finally get there, we will also sing out endlessly, God’s Praise for what he has done in, through, and for us.
Revelation 15:3-4 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For [thou] only [art] holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” Isaiah 66:23 “And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship [and sing] before me, saith the LORD.” Back to the opening text, Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord Alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.” Do you sing as you go, and keep on singing, rejoicing in the Lord always? Question; “When have you ever seen two people squabbling, arguing and fighting; while still singing a song?” Let us from now on, “Rejoice in the Lord Alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.”
