We can also look to Ecclesiastes saying there is a time for all things or remember Jesus when Lazarus died or when He was about to be killed. Jesus got sad and upset and so can we. We have a wide range of emotions and those emotions aren’t bad. We may respond badly to them, but the emotion isn’t bad. It’s OK to feel sad. It’s even OK to feel angry within the right context.

So, What Is 1 Thessalonians Saying?

It is God’s will for you to be able to rejoice in all circumstances, whether those circumstances are good or bad. This joy comes from our knowing that whatever the earthly situation, we know our heavenly situation. Any suffering is temporary. Christ has overcome the sin, death, and the world. So, even in the worst situation, we can look past the sorrow or horror and see the victorious Christ and, in Him, our victory.

So, this joy isn’t always expressed in happiness. Sometimes, it’s peace. Sometimes it’s endurance. Sometimes it’s longing. Sometimes it is happiness.

The point isn’t to command you to always put on a smile even when you’re dying inside. It’s to remind you that whatever your situation, there is a greater reality that Christ has won the victory, given you a crown, and nothing can take you away from His hand.

Dear Jesus,

You know what it is like to be human. Sometimes I feel great and sometimes I feel sad. Remind me to thank you in those times happiness. Comfort me in my times of sadness with the knowledge of the victory I have in You that I may know Your joy even in my suffering just as my joy was obtained through Your suffering on the cross.

Amen.