Day 2 – Rejoicing

Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.” 1 Samuel 2:1

Mary prayed: “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.” Luke 1:46-48

Put simply, rejoicing is a choice. Not only for ourselves but to share with God through our prayers and worship. It is an attitude, emotion, and action which help us to maintain a positive, God-centred perspective. Thanksgiving and rejoicing are like peas in a pod – okay, with a slight difference. Thanksgiving is reciting all that God has done (will do and is doing) from a grateful heart, whilst rejoicing is celebrating and shouting praises to God worshipping Him for Who He is.

Life, like a rollercoaster, has many ups and downs with a lot of mundane in between and the trials can be difficult and even devastating. But we, dear friends, are not called to sulk in hopelessness and negativity. The joyful times are marvelous but we sometimes allow them to be stolen from us in difficult times. It may sound overarching, but practicing rejoicing in your prayer life is the antidote to prevent that.

Both Hannah and Mary started their prayers by rejoicing. Each to their own circumstance and each to their own relationship with our Father. It’s a beautiful worship radiating from a soul connecting with its Creator. What will your rejoicing sound like today?

Prayer: Lord, You are truly magnificent, and may my soul rejoice even more than the words I know. You are life-changing in every part of my life. You are my protector and counselor and the One who loved me first. Thank You, my King, that we can learn what it means to rejoice and how we can practice it in our prayer lives. Amen.