“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice ALWAYS? Pray WITHOUT CEASING? In ALL CIRCUMSTANCES give thanks? These are among the more difficult commands we are asked to follow as Christians. As discussed in a previous post, it is the middle command that is the key to those that surround it. Prayer is relationship, in the words of St. Teresa of Ávila “an intimate sharing between friends.” In a right relationship with God it is possible to cling to joy even during difficult times.
The Fruit of the Spirit
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” -Matthew 7:16-17, 20
In the last of His seven “I Am” metaphors in the Gospel of John (15:1-5), Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Only when the branches are connected to the vine will the fruit thrive and grow. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing, Jesus warns us in Matthew 7 adding, “by their fruits you will know them.” The Apostle Paul compares the “fruit” of a life lived for the flesh and those of a life lived in the Spirit in Galatians 5. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (vs. 22). If we are connected to the Vine, no matter our external circumstances we should be radiating “good fruit.”
Count it All Joy
As one of the fruits of the Spirit, the words “joy” and “rejoice” appear scores of times throughout the Old and New Testaments, often connected to suffering. In James 1:2-4, we are counseled to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” as those trials work in us to make us more “perfect and complete.”
A peasant girl from a rural village, betrothed to an honorable Jewish man, is told she will miraculously conceive and bear a son. The Annunciation is related in Luke 1:26-38 and is familiar to most of us. Perhaps too familiar. Stop and meditate on her situation for a moment. In addition the normal fears and anxieties of a first-time mother, how could she convince her parents, her friends, and worst of all, her soon-to-be husband that her pregnancy was from God? Cultural and religious norms could rightly have demanded she be stoned to death for adultery. And yet in the midst of her uncertainty this ordinary girl still boldly declares, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior!” (Luke 1:46, 47)
“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” -Matthew 5:11-12
In the introduction to His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12), Jesus tells us that true happiness – the fullness of joy – does not exclusively depend on our outward circumstances, but more on our attitudes of humility and empathy, our works of mercy and peacemaking, our hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Peter and the Apostles were imprisoned for preaching the name of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. After a miraculous release they returned to the Temple and continued to preach. Another confrontation with the Jewish leaders ensued, by whom they were flogged and, fearing another miraculous rescue, released. “So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” (Acts 5:41) Rejoicing! What a remarkable response to being beaten with rods.
Rejoice!
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” -Philippians 4:4
And so connect to the True Vine in prayer. Make it a habit at specific times during the day. God will probably never ask you to face public shaming and possible stoning, or to be flogged for standing up for your beliefs. What He does ask is that you to step out in faith and trust, and to share in some suffering “for the sake of the name.” When we remain connected to the Vine, even in suffering we can radiate the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, et al. “By their fruit you will know them,” Jesus tells us. In response we must honestly ask ourselves: How fruity am I? How fruity are you?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:3-9
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