Rejoice Anyway
* Puako, Big Island of Hawaii
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" — Philippians 4:4
WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE THE SHORE
Over the past several months, I've found myself asking some difficult questions about Zealous.
Is anyone reading?
Is anyone growing?
Is any of this making a difference?
There have been days when it has felt less like sailing with the gentle wind pushing me through the waves and more like trying to stay afloat on a small raft in a choppy sea.
I keep paddling because I believe there's a purpose and a reason, even when I can't yet see the shore.
Maybe you've felt that way too.
Losing heart. Losing hope.
Perhaps it isn't a business for you. Maybe it's marriage, family, career, health, or a prayer you’ve been waiting months—or even years—for God to answer.
I think we all have seasons where we quietly wonder:
"Lord, am I going in the right direction?”
“Am I doing what is pleasing in Your sight?”
“How long must I wait, Lord?”
“Am I making the right decision?”
I’ve lost hope in certain situations, and I’ve questioned the joy Paul speaks of in Philippians. But when I consider Paul’s circumstances, he had a reason to lose heart.
He wasn't writing from the comfort of his home with everything going his way. He was writing as a prisoner. His freedom had been taken away, his future was uncertain, and yet one word echoes throughout his letter:
Rejoice.
I’ve come to learn that his joy wasn't based on his circumstances. It came from living for Christ in every circumstance.
So, even in discomfort, uncertainty, and pain, Paul tells us: “Rejoice IN the Lord always.”
REJOICE IN THE LORD
I think most of us want to be blessed with happiness. Happiness rises and falls with what's happening around us. It is when uncertainty hits hard, happiness often disappears just as quickly as it came.
Biblical joy runs deeper than emotion. We can experience joy from knowing who Jesus is and trusting Him during life’s uncertainties, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.
Maybe the most important words in Philippians 4:4 aren't "rejoice always," but "in the Lord."
Paul isn't asking us to rejoice in the hardship, disappointment, loss, or uncertainty. He's telling us where to place our joy—in Christ. When circumstances give us little reason to rejoice, we redirect our focus to the One who hasn't changed. We pray. We remember His faithfulness. We return to His Word. We remember what He has already done.
Perhaps that's how we learn to rejoice anyway—not by dwelling on the disappointments and uncertainties, but by returning our hearts to Christ.
Paul understood something I often need to remember: Our circumstances change, but Christ does not.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever."
— Hebrews 13:8
His love doesn't change. His character doesn't change. And He remains with us through every season.
EVEN IF…YET I WILL
Throughout Scripture we find people who chose to remain faithful even when there seems to be little reason for happiness.
Habakkuk faced the coming judgment of Judah and the threat of Babylon. Yet he remained faithful and wrote:
"Even if the fig tree does not blossom,
And there is no fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the flock disappears from the fold,
And there are no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will triumph in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength..."
— Habakkuk 3:17–19
Isaiah also ministered during a time of spiritual decay, political turmoil, and threats from foreign powers. Yet, he proclaimed:
"I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
My soul will be joyful in my God."
— Isaiah 61:10
Habakkuk and Isaiah didn’t ignore the reality of their circumstances. They saw the difficulties before them, yet directed their hearts to rejoice in the Lord.
The same God – The same Source of joy.
HIS JOY – OUR STRENGTH
This brings me to one of my favorite verses:
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
— Philippians 4:13
The "all things" weren't limitless achievements and superhuman strength. Paul was talking about enduring every circumstance through the strength Christ provided.
The same God who sustained Habakkuk and Isaiah also gave Paul the strength to remain faithful whether life felt abundant or painfully difficult.
So, instead of asking, "What can I do to get through this?"
I ask, "How can I remain faithful through this?"
And perhaps Paul has already given us the answer: To live is Christ.
TO LIVE IS CHRIST
Earlier in Philippians, Paul writes,
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
— Philippians 1:21
What does it mean to “live is Christ?”
For Paul, Christ wasn't simply one part of his life. Christ was the purpose and center of his life. His circumstances could change, but his reason for living did not.
And when Christ becomes the center of our lives, it should change the way we live.
We know God is love (1 John 4:8) and Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, our faith should reflect Christ in our work, service, actions, and in the way we treat others.
Sometimes the greatest victory isn't achieving something extraordinary.
Sometimes it's choosing to trust God in each moment of every day.
As I look back, I realize Zealous has given me far more than I originally hoped.
Of course, I'd love to see more people encouraged, and yes, more apparel reaching people who want to live out their faith.
But somewhere along my journey, God was doing a quieter work. He has been strengthening my faith.
My circumstances with Zealous haven’t necessarily changed. But the difficulties have driven me closer to Christ. God has been changing me.
I still falter. I still waver.
These are the moments I kneel and pray. In prayer, we draw closer to God. We become dependent upon Him for direction, wisdom, and strength. As the late Pastor Charles Stanley often said, “We are strongest on our knees.”
It is in our weakness we are made strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
FINAL THOUGHTS
Success in God's kingdom isn't always measured by what we can count.
It's measured by who we're becoming as we draw nearer to Christ.
Solomon understood this when he wrote,
"I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime."
— Ecclesiastes 3:12
There is something freeing about that perspective: Rejoice in the Lord, do good for others, and trust that our work matters.
If you're walking through a season of uncertainty today — REJOICE ANYWAY!
The storms of life will come and go.
Keep paddling.
Christ remains present in the middle of it.
And that changes everything.
ZEALOUS 4 LIFE
Let’s walk this journey together—faithfully, joyfully, ZEALOUSLY.
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