FAITH CAPSULE: Allow joy and rejoicing to be your mark of living life.
Philippians 4
Praising God without joy is like attempting to open a locked up house without a key. Rejoicing at the time of praising God is the way to assess to God’s presence. Praising God can be likened to one who is attempting to open a house that is closed up while joy and rejoicing can be likened to key that opens door into a closed house. To be constantly joyful when praising God is assessing the presence of God. The Psalm 16:11, buttress, “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God cannot survive a joyless environment because in His presence is fullness of joy. By this virtue, praising Him must be constantly rooted in joy. Praising, not shouting is what it takes to access His presence. Are you a worshipper indeed and in truth? Be mindful of the truth that understand is what it takes to praise God joyfully. It is not possible to praise God with understanding and not be accessible into His presence.
The psalmist revealed, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4) Thanking God with understanding will get one as far as to His gates. Praising God with understanding is what takes man into the presence of God. It is never enough to go as far as the gate and not get through into the court. Are you assessing the gate and not enter into His court?
Engaging praise worship with understanding is exposure to the throne of grace because the Bible makes us to realize, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)
Praising God in the fullness of joy is rejoicing in His salvation. Ones who rejoice in His salvation will have their horn (strength) exalted in the Lord. They will smile at every representative of enemies such as failure, sickness, and every other kind of challenges that Paul advised us not to be anxious about. Praise God with joy and engage His presence that will carry man through in the world of challenges. In the world of challenges, the path of life where there is God’s presence, the sojourner will get to their expected end. Also where God’s presence is absent, death will be present. To journey in the path of life successfully, God’s presence will have to be consistently in place.
Apostle Paul did not just ask for joy but he asked for it with emphasis when he commanded, “Rejoice always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) Allow joy and rejoicing to be your mark of living life.
Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of God to deposit in you all that it takes to be constantly joyful.