I know some of you are thinking, “That’s all? There has to be more to it than that?!” But just trust me, Sisters. Let’s take a look and see what God is saying to us through those verses today.
Rejoice always. Rejoice means to give joy to or to feel joy or great delight, according to Merriam-Webster. God tells us to look for the joy in every situation that we encounter. If you look closely enough, you can find God’s Presence and His glory right there in your situation. Even in times of great distress and sorrow, God promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We can find joy right there. We are never alone! But there’s even more. Choosing joy is choosing life, love, and positive energy. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” The senior saints back in the day used to follow up that verse with “If you don’t have no joy, you don’t have no strength.” Ok, double negatives aside, we know what they were saying. If you are lacking joy, you feel weak. You have very little motivation, so it’s hard to complete what is right in front of you. But when you choose the joy of the Lord, you operate in His strength!
Pray without ceasing. No, you do not have to walk around all day wearing your “super spiritual cape,” speaking in tongues everywhere you go. Prayer is talking to God. Cease means to come to an end. Your conversations with God should be consistent. There shouldn’t be a day when you don’t spend time with your Heavenly Father. And that conversation should be a dialogue, not just a monologue with your litany of requests. Prayer should continue throughout the day, too. It’s wonderful to thank God for waking you up and also to give thanks before you go to bed. But what about all day long in between? You can talk to God throughout the day! That conversation never has to end.
The Manna Chef 