If you are a person who is cautious about commitments, you will be familiar with the concept of waiting to see how things will turn out before you get involved. Some people dive in headfirst right away, but you prefer to stand on the sidelines and watch for a while. You want to see what is going to happen, what the cost is, what you have to do, or how much pain and suffering you will have to endure before you commit. You want to weigh up your options and count the cost before you are locked in to something that might not be right for you. A command to rejoice forever is an emotional commitment that many of us are hesitant to undertake.
A Measured Approach
Caution is a wise thing. People who are measured in their approach to life often save themselves a lot of trouble and heartache simply because they make decisions objectively. They avoid acting on impulse, instead preferring to think things through first. But in the verse above, God tells us to rejoice forever in what He creates. That sounds like a commitment to a lifetime of rejoicing – and we can’t even see what it is that He’s doing! How does that work?
The Risks are Real
When it comes to our emotions, some of us are particularly wary. The usual human approach to life is reactive – we react with anger to injustice, we feel happy when we get good news, and we respond with tears when we face sorrow or tragedy. There is so much of the unknown in our world that we are afraid to put our emotions on the line for the future. We are afraid to love because we fear being hurt. We are hesitant to rejoice in the future because we are afraid of disappointment. For each good thing that life offers, there are a host of things that could take it away, leaving us hurting or grieving. No wonder we are afraid of investing our emotions in the future.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.Isaiah 65:18
So when God tells us to rejoice forever in what He creates, it’s a hard thing for us to understand. We can’t see it and it certainly isn’t our current world with its chaos and catastrophe. It must be something in the future.
To Rejoice Forever is an Act of Faith
This is where faith begins and we become proactive rather than reactive. When we remember that God isn’t guessing about the future, we can take hold of this command to rejoice forever and make it real. God knows what is ahead. He already has plans to bring us into a good place and He knows that we will be happy. It is just as much an act of faith to rejoice over what we can’t see as it is to face the fiery furnace without knowing the outcome.
We can’t see God’s promises but when we accept them with rejoicing we are acknowledging their future reality. We know they will be fulfilled because we know the One that spoke them into existence. They are backed up by His character and He never lies or fails. They are certain and we can rejoice because we know the One who will bring them to fruition.
Emotional Investments in the Future 
Have you been holding back on your emotions, waiting to see what God will do before you commit? Are you afraid of being disappointed or hurt? It’s true that we are still living in a war zone and there is still a sting in the tail of the dragon. Pain and suffering will still come our way. But the future reality is certain. It’s a safe place to invest our emotions because we can trust the One who has promised it to us. We can go ahead and rejoice forever in what we believe without fear.
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