“Rejoice in the Lord always;” in context

I love Paul’s exhortation for us to rejoice in the Lord always in Philippians 4:4, but I am afraid that too often we forget what was going on in Paul’s life when he wrote this, let alone the proceeding verses. If we put this verse on plaques, and even in our heads, and forget the context of this verse it will lose much of its weight. We must remember that Paul wrote from prison (1:7b; 13b).
            In music a single note heard alone, outside of the whole flow of the song will not, and in fact cannot, carry the same meaning and beauty it did while encapsulated with the other notes. It is the same with scripture. We must consider the context.

            A lot of times we see signs or hear people say “rejoice” but it is not even a Christian thing to merely “rejoice.” All sorts of people “rejoice.” People rejoice when their sports team scores. People rejoice when they don’t get caught stealing something. We are not to just rejoice; our rejoicing is grounded in something. It is grounded in the Lord; rejoice in the Lord. It is precisely because our rejoicing, like Paul’s, is grounded in the Lord that we can rejoice always. If we only know or read or see “rejoice” we can, and I believe will, be misled. We will falter and think that we are commanded to rejoice but we are not merely commanded to we are delighted to. It is in, through, and because of the Lord that we can always rejoice. We can also fail and think that we are to rejoice in the Lord when circumstances dictate rejoicing but if we know this verse in context we will see that in the Lord our circumstances are always worth rejoicing over.

            Before Paul wrote his famous “rejoice in the Lord always” he said I count everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. He said “I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (3:9).

How was Paul able to rejoice in prison even when he had so many concerns on his mind? He was concerned about all the churches he had planted, all those he had led to Christ, and he did not even know if or where his next meal would come from; not to mention the execution that could be awaiting him. As if all this was not enough he was also afflicted in his imprisonment by some of his opponents (Phil. 1:17). Paul had joy in his difficult circumstances when we often fail to have joy in our much less difficult circumstances, but why?

Paul had this attitude because he was able to say “it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20-21).

Paul had his affections set on his Savior, Christ his Lord. So whether he suffered, lived, or died, he could rejoice because he was focused not on his things or his hopes and dreams for himself but His LORD and that outlook changed the way he saw everything. That is why he was able to be content in every circumstance. He had forsaken all else and counted it as rubbish in order that he may gain Christ. He rejoiced in Christ because he saw that He was truly all he needed or wanted. For us to truly rejoice in Christ in every circumstance we must also forsake all else and treasure Him. If not we will not be able to rejoice always. If our ultimate joy is found in other things and those other things fall apart, how could we rejoice in them? All other things will fall apart: spouses will die or leave, cars will crash, houses will burn, but God is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always, therefore we can rejoice in Him always. He is always infinitely worthy. That is why the Psalmist could say, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26). That is why Habakkuk could say,

“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 flock 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.
God, the Lord, is my strength.”

~Habakkuk 3:17-19