Then My Soul Will Rejoice In the Lord and Delight In His Salvation.

There are times where we feel exasperated, stressed, and angry at the things that come our way in life. At times we feel bitter, resentful, and wounded by the crass and insensitive or selfish actions of others towards us. In those moments we have the choice to either praise God or to complain about our situation.

I have personally heard many sermons in which the pastor taught us that the Bible says to rejoice in all situations. That the meaning of this passage means to find something about the situation to praise God for. Even if it means we are simply learning something through the lesson or someone is being changed.

Was this really what Paul meant in Philippians 4:6? Or was Paul trying to teach us to change our attitude and to find something or anything to praise God about at that moment? Could Paul have instead of trying to teach us to praise God about every situation that occurs, which frankly is nearly impossible in some circumstances, have rather been trying to teach us how to force our flesh to praise God even in hard circumstances? Could it be that Paul wanted us to refocus our thoughts from the negative circumstances in our lives at the moment and instead focus our thoughts on all the good things that still exist? Maybe Paul meant a change of attitude from complaining and anxiety to rejoicing and thankfulness.

Philippians 4:4-7,

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

First of all, Paul doesn't say to look for the good in the situation. Paul instructs us to first realize that God is still near and has not forsaken us in the situation. Then he instructs us to let go of our anxiety and to pray to God concerning the matter. Let God know your struggle and what you desire to happen in the situation, which if we are godly people that should match up with what God desires to happen in the situation. Because petition here actually means seeking God in the circumstance since it is the Greek word "peesi."

Then with thanksgiving present your requests to God. The type of thanksgiving mentioned here is "eucaristia" which means the giving of thanks. Did Paul say what we had to thank God about? No! Paul just said basically, "Get out of your down in the dumps mood. Realize God is still near you and hasn't forsaken you! Begin to prayer and tell God how you feel and what you struggling with in the situation. Then seek Him on what is His will. After that thank God for all His goodness and request that His will, not your desire, be done!"

And by that we have true peace! The old testament states to what the giving of thanks was and still is today. The giving of thanks if the old testament was seen as a fellowship offering, meaning a sacrifice to show God how thankful one was (Lev. 7:13-15)! It was seen as chanting and singing (Ezra 3:11 and Nehemiah 12:14).

But of all the memorable people who thanked God in the Bible, King David stands out the most. In the most trying and difficult circumstances, King David commanded his soul to give thanks to God! Psalms 42:5-6 records King David's struggle and triumph over his soul that wanted to be negative,

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. "

Instead of complaining and feeling anxiety place your trust and hope in God. Begin to thank God for something and anything that you can think of! Begin to pray and to seek God on what He desires to be the outcome of the situation. I have done this personally and have become such a more peaceful and happy person as of late. Filled with joy and thanksgiving instead of frustration and hurts since God taught me this lesson.

And if the reward of peace and rejoicing is not enough for you, remember what happened to the Israelites when they insisted on complaining about everything. Number 14:26-29 records what happened to the Israelites because of their complaining,

" The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me."

Start to rejoice and thank God for His many good blessings! Least God gives you exactly what you have complained about and lets destruction come to you. God is quick to forgive us if we repent. Repenting means to turn completely away from our sin and walk in a new way. A way that reflects His son, Jesus Christ, and His goodness to us. So praise God for something and anything that you can think of!