Written January 11, 2023 in Luling, LA
Psalm 95, I Thess 5:16-24

One night in early January 2023, I was laying down for bed at our home in Luling, LA when something brought 1 Thess 5 to mind, particularly, the phrases “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.” I looked up the passage and noted that in its full context the letter went on to challenge its audience to give thanks “in everything” and to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit.

In my waking moments the next morning, seemingly out of nowhere, Psalm 95 came to mind. This work instructs us to sing for joy, or to use song and music to get joyful and then, once joyful, to shout joyfully to God (with instruments!). It then goes on to remind us that God is in control and worthy of our trust and, should we hear his voice, not to harden our hearts against it.

In other words, rejoice always and be open to the work of God’s Holy Spirit.

In early 2023, my family was in the midst of a very difficult season that came on the heals of a previously difficult season. Rejoicing always was hard, despite that being an exhortation I often give when leading worship, which I was then doing in a part-time position at a United Methodist Church in Gonzales, LA, an hour away from our home and not the church I had relocated from Kansas to serve full-time.

When I wrote this song, I needed a fresh exhortation to sing for joy and to shout with joy. I needed a fresh invitation to practice God’s presence and to trust God’s work in and through myself, my family, and whatever church we might be serving at any given time. I needed the Holy Spirit to whisper in my ear when laying down for the night and waking for the day. I needed the nudge to write and to sing new songs. I still need all of those things and thankfully, God still provides them.

Two months after writing that song, almost to the day, I received a response from one Laurie Roark to a résumé I had submitted for a full-time position leading worship at a United Methodist Church in Liberty, MO.