Rejoice ... Has been my word lately ... And still "journey" too... Sarah keeps singing Journey off the map from VBS musical they sang at church last week ...
I went up for prayer this past Sunday after church and all the guest preacher ( who knew nothing about me) prayed was "Lord be with this woman on her journey and may she rejoice to you, amen". I thought well that was short and sweet and straight from the Spirit of God Himself, thank you Lord!!!
Definition of Rejoice - to be full of joy!
v.verb
To feel joyful; be delighted.
To feel joyful about (something).
"Rejoice oh child of God" part of the lyrics to a recent new favorite song if mine by Lauren Daigle (Redeemed)
"He rejoices over us in singing" ...another scripture I've gotten several times over the past few weeks. (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT).
He rejoices over us so we should probably choose to rejoice back to Him!
"Rejoice in all circumstances, Pray continually and give thanks for this is God's will for your life" (1 Thes. 5:16-18) Got three times in one week! I hear you Lord, help me to rejoice!
"Rejoice oh favored one" ... (Luke 1:28-38) The first thing the angel said to Mary, when The Lord called her to be the mother of Jesus.
The ladies in our Sunday school class and I have been reading about the different women in the Bible and since it was the season of Easter we spent a few weeks on Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Wise women ...
Matthew 27 which is telling about the death of Jesus, verse 55 says "And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for Him were watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph) and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee." Also, in John 19:25 it mentions "standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and His mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas) and Mary Magdalene. I find that interesting, that the three women at the cross all had the name Mary.
One website mentioned the name Mary means "Wise One". There were six Mary's in the Bible all of which I found to be pretty wise women as I read about each one of them. Wise women, who also struggled with fear, doubt, and evil spirits just like we do today, yet they followed Jesus. They sought after Him for healing. They washed His feet, and anointed Him with oil. The used their own resources to serve Him and His disciples. Yes wise women follow Jesus, to the cross, to the cross everyday. Best place for us to stay is at the cross, not just at Easter time but everyday. What else do wise women know and do?
You are Called and chosen ...
Mary Magdalen was the first at the tomb early on Sunday morning (John 20:1), also the first to see Jesus after He had risen and the first to go run and tell the other disciples (Matthew 28:7). Ladies, let this encourage you that God used women to carry out His purposes! And He still is using women to carry out His purposes! There is a plan and a purpose for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). As one of the many of my favorite preacher chicks, Lisa Bevere says, "you are an answer to a problem!"! You may be the special woman He has called and He has chosen specifically to love that husband of yours to The Lord, or a coworker or a lost child, a friend or neighbor! Just like Mary was called and chosen to carry Jesus, we are called and chosen to carry something special, to give birth to something. Yes you are called. You are chosen. (Deut. 7:6, 1 Peter 2:9, Mat. 22:14, Eph. 1:4-5, John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30, Eph. 1:11 are just a few scriptures on how we are called!) Yes, He loves His women, He created you and me In His image, HE LOVES YOU. He also wants to use you just like He used other women in the Bible. Do you know what He is asking you to do? What He wants you to carry for Him for this season of your life? To give birth to?
You are Favored ...
"Rejoice, oh favored one", not only are we also called and chosen for something just like the women in the Bible, but we are favored too! One of my favorite scriptures when I first got into the Word of God and was thinking God was angry with me was "His anger last for a moment but His favor for a life time!" (Psalm 30:5) Read and mediate on this entire Psalm because it also says in verse 8 "I sought favor from my Lord". It's all about singing, dancing, exalting The Lord, going to Him for help, weeping may spend the night but joy will come, praising Him forever, it's about rejoicing! Just search favor in His Word online and see what you get! I also want to challenge you to start asking God for His favor! It will bless you when He shows you His favor. Pray for favor with God. Pray for favor with man. Pray for God to give your child favor with his teacher or his boss, or their students, pray for favor when you are trying to pay off debt but yet need to buy something and need to find it at a really good deal, pray for favor with that difficult person you are trying to love! God's Word mentions His
favor over and over! If you are His child then you are one of His favorites! Rejoice oh favored one, for you are favored ...
And of course there is Suffering ...
Just put yourself in Mary's shoes, engaged to be married. Her plans were most probably, Get married, have babies, work the fields, be a mom and enjoy life. But no, an angel appears and says you are going to be with child before you marry Joseph and by the way Joseph is going to fear too until I have a talk with him. Fear of the unknown, And this child, the son of God who you are going to have to run from those trying to kill him as well as we know she had to watch him suffer and die on a cross. If it were me, part of me would be stressing out because MY PLAN is no longer an option. Another part of me would be excited and honored that God would ask me to carry and give birth to such a priceless gift. Another part of me would be worried about what others were thinking. Kind of sounds familiar when God has asked me to do things here lately that didn't go along with my plans. No, Mary's life didn't go according to her plans. How many of your lives have gone according to your plans? I would bet anyone who is reading this, your life didn't end up as you had planned. Mine didn't, I've been such a mess, sad to say for a long time I didn't even have a plan. And what little plan I do remember just thinking about and never putting into action, never happened needless to say! We can make our plans but God's purposes will prevail (Proverbs 19:21)!
And when the angel told Mary what God's plans were for her life, she asked "How?"; she obviously feared, she doubted, she obviously worried just like we all do! Just like we do too, We fear, we doubt, we worry, we ask God how. How God? are you going to work this situation out for good? How God are you going to heal me and or this person? How God are you going to help me pay off this debt when you are calling me to stay home? How God are you going to restore this marriage? How are you going to change this husband or wife or child? How and when God are you going to deliver me or this person from this situation, or depression, or laziness, or drugs, or alcohol and or a negative spirit? Are you going to do it on earth or in heaven? How God how? Why God why? When God when?! We fear, we ask how, we ask why, we worry, we think about it, and we think about it and we think about it! We focus on the "suffering", well I do. I know I sometimes think way too much. We think too much, when the angel and His Word says to simply "rejoice" and His Word says to "rejoice in all circumstances"! Sometimes we are waiting on God when He is waiting on us! His Word also says "Pray continually and give thanks" (1 Thes. 5:16-18)! This is God's will for our lives. In all circumstances, in the suffering of Good Friday, in the silence of Saturday and in the resurrection Sundays! Thank you for one of my sweet accountability partners in our small group that gave me this scripture at just the right timing, when I was praying about what to share about Mary with the ladies and was stuck on the first comment of the angel telling her to rejoice. Too at the perfect timing, God's perfect timing, when I was just thinking too much! Thank you dear Melanie and Jean!
Choose to Rejoice ...
Yes, life is going to include some suffering, for each and everyone of us, but it's also going to bring some life and resurrection too! We've got two choices we can choose to rejoice or we can choose not to rejoice! Rejoice in the birth, in the growth, in the pain, in the suffering, in the silence, in the delivery, in the resurrection, and in the life that He gave, because all things work together for good, all things ...for those who love God and are called according to His purpose!!! (Romans 8:28)
I pray that you choose to rejoice today no matter what season, whether you are in a storm, coming out of a storm or headed for a storm, may we rejoice! And please pray for me to do the same!!!
Thank you Lord for this season of Easter, the reminder, but may we go to the cross everyday! May we know your love so deep, so wide, that the deep things in you call out to the deep things in us! May we seek your favor for our lives as we seek to do your will because it's only by your favor, mercy and grace that we live and breath! Thank you Lord that you rejoice over us in singing! Lord help us to rejoice! May we sing praises and rejoice to You through all the seasons of Our lives, Seasons of suffering, seasons of silence, seasons of satisfaction, and seasons of resurrection! May we pray continually, giving thanks to you in all circumstances for this is your will! May we have an attitude of gratitude! Thank you God that you work all things together for good! Thank you Lord for revealing and healing roots in me! You are truly our healer, our father, our creator and maker, our counselor, our provider, our everything! Thank you Lord that you speak to us and you confirm things! Thank you for your peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding! Thank you Lord for all that you are and all you have done for us! Thank you for choosing us and calling us and I pray that we would respond in obedience to whatever you asks us to do! Like Mary, may we choose to be your slave and trust and obey! Nothing is impossible with you God! We give you all the honor glory and praise because it's all because of you and all for you! Worthy is the lamb!!! Amen amen and amen!!!
May we Rejoice on the journey,
Love Terri
And the angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man? ” The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And consider your relative Elizabeth — even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s slave,” said Mary. “May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:28-38 HCSB)
For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
