Rejoice in Hope

Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand- Psalm 149:5-6

Effective prayer must be mixed with rejoicing. God wants to see joy in your life. It is surprising that some Christians find it difficult to understand why they should rejoice in the presence of God. God is not nervous by all of us shouting and praying to Him as some erroneously believe. He can hear all of us at the same time. In fact, if you do not like to shout, you may find it odd when you get to Heaven.

I have seen cases when Holy Ghost joy fills everybody and some will laugh till the service ended, to the extent that they had to be taken to their houses. That was the Holy Ghost laughter, laughing your way to breakthrough, exuberant outburst of joy. Some of such people often testify of their miraculous healings, even without praying for them. If you like to pray, there might be moments in your prayer life that you will also laugh in the spirit. At such times, if God opens your eyes, you will see little demons fleeing in terror.

God also laughs. When God laughs at your enemy, you will hold your peace. When you rejoice in God, He will laugh at your enemy. When he laughs at your enemy, that enemy is finished!  One of the advantages of supernatural joy is laughing in the Holy Ghost. Some do not know the essence of joy. We need joy to stay strong. Supernatural joy is essential for effective prayer, so never allow the devil to take away your joy.

The word “rejoicing” means leaping, and it is more than just singing. It is something from the heart. Today, many are bottled up and they do not see any reason for laughing or rejoicing. They take themselves too seriously; they complain about everything. They assume God only works in a straight-jacket way, whereas God has one thousand and one ways to get things done. He knows the best way to make things work for you. The word joy means “shine” or “delight”. Do not allow the devil to take that away from you. David was fond of praising God; no wonder he was loved by the Lord. He praised God so much that Michal, Saul's daughter whom he took as a wife, despised his rejoicing (see 2 Samuel 6:20-21) Michal's attitude was because she came from a family that did not honour God. It was recorded in the Bible that she died a barren. Rejoicing goes beyond singing. Rejoicing is the supernatural joy that flows from your within. It helps your prayer to be answered. Many people are asking God to arise, whereas God is also asking them to come to Him rejoicing.

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before him. As wax is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.  - Psalm 68:1-3.

Verses l and 2 are what God promised to do for you. The word but in verse 3 means there is a condition attached to the fulfilment of verses l and 2. You may be despised if you rejoice before man; but verse 3 says you should rejoice before God. Rejoice in the presence of God, not minding those near you or what others will feel about you. That was what David did that made God loved him.