Rejoice Always: Turning Praise into a Lifestyle of Victory
A Brother’s Storm and Timeless Wisdom
When I wrote about my brother in Why Suffering and Sorrow, I double-checked a vivid memory: him praising the Lord in a life raft amid 7-meter swells. His response corrected the timeline—it happened, on November 18, 2017—and added profound wisdom: “Don’t wait for a storm! Make it a lifestyle to praise Him no matter what. Then when the storms of life come, it will be your go-to place. By choosing to REJOICE, it’s a choice, you live in constant JOY.“
From Gratitude to Explosive Rejoicing
All my Christian life, I’ve heard it preached that “Praise is the Victory.” We enter His presence through thanksgiving and praise: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4 KJV). I’ve embraced an attitude of gratitude, thanking God daily for the beauty in His creation—rainbows, sunrises, sunsets, starry night. Yet rejoicing? That’s deeper. It’s not mere thanks; it’s explosive joy that can make you dance, uncaring of onlookers, caught in divine emotion.
David’s Dance: The Biblical Model
King David exemplified this as the Ark entered Jerusalem: “Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16 KJV). David didn’t care—he rejoiced wildly in God’s presence. Scripture overflows with calls to rejoice.
Scripture’s Symphony of Joy
Meditate on these Psalms:
“I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High” (Psalm 9:2).
“I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities” (Psalm 31:7).
“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11).
“Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright” (Psalm 33:1).
“For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name” (Psalm 33:21).
“Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psalm 51:8).
“Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice” (Psalm 63:7).
“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified” (Psalm 70:4).
“Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psalm 97:12).
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (Psalm 98:4).
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation...” (Isaiah 61:10).
Persecution in the Modern Age
In our age, Christian persecution abounds, unreported by godless media networks pushing to erase God from society—out of schools, institutions, and culture. Believers are mocked as fools. Jesus warned: We’re in the world but not of it; expect hatred, even martyrdom, as seen globally today.
Rejoice When They Hate You
How to respond? “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you... Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven...” (Luke 6:22-23).
The School of the Prophets
Imagine vying against thousands for the world’s top school—chef, artist, doctor—and receiving acceptance. You’d celebrate ecstatically! Bottle that joy. Persecution admits you to the “School of the Prophets,” honoring you alongside Moses, Elijah, Isaiah. Your prophet-status in God’s eyes. The Apostles lived this.
The Apostles Lived It
Paul: “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4); “Who now rejoice in my sufferings...” (Colossians 1:24); “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Peter: “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now... in heaviness through manifold temptations” (1 Peter 1:6); “Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable...” (1 Peter 1:8); “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings...” (1 Peter 4:13).No excuses for bad days. Choose rejoicing as lifestyle—storms or calm—and dwell in constant joy. Praise isn’t just victory; it’s our daily choice.