Rejoice In Suffering
October 2026
“Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.”
—Colossians 1:24
As you should know, the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians while he was a prisoner in Rome. Since Paul was a Roman citizen, he had the right to be confined in a hired house instead of being held in a prison cell. Even though he was in a hired house, he was chained to a Roman guard throughout the day. More than likely, this was during daylight with the guard stationed outside his bedroom while he slept, but throughout the rest of his day, he had the imposition of being chained. The reason for this imprisonment was the preaching of the gospel.
This is recorded in Acts 21:27-36, and verse 27 states: “The Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him [Paul] in the temple, stirred up the people.” They falsely accused Paul of bringing Gentiles into the temple, which was false. Paul was sent to Caesarea for safety reasons and remained there for about two years. As a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his legal right to appeal his case to Caesar.
In Colossians 1:24, Paul states, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you.” Paul is not sayinghere that he is rejoicing because of the sufferings but rather despite the sufferings. Suffering is a part of life, and for many varied reasons. Suffering can bring great turmoil and heartache, and itis used by Satan to bring us to a place of depression and isolation from the Lord.
However, as believers, we are to never forget that the Bible details the many sufferings of different people, but, at the same time, the Bible proclaims that the Lord guided them and delivered them. Joseph, for example, was delivered from the betrayal of his brothers and from prison. And Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage. We see God’s great promise of this in Exodus: “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Ex. 3:7-8). There are many more examples that could be given, but I think these given will suffice.
Suffering, though at times very great and hurtful, doesn’t mean that the Lord has forsaken us or doesn’t love us anymore. But it does mean that we are not immune from suffering.
So the lesson we are to learn is what to do when we are suffering. The answer is to rejoice. We are to rejoice that the Lord is with us, and He will help us. The biblical definition of rejoicing is much deeper than a feeling of happiness. Rejoicing is the glad response of the heart that delights in God—His character, His salvation, and His many promises that His Word declares for His children.
In the Old Testament, the primary Hebrew words translated “rejoice” are:
• Samah: to be glad, joyful, take delight, to celebrate.
• Gil: to exalt, rejoice greatly, to spin or leap for joy.
• Alas: to exalt triumphantly or overflow with joy.
In the New Testament, the primary Greek word is chairo, which means “to rejoice, be glad, to delight.”
In the New Testament, rejoicing isn’t rooted in the changing of one’s circumstances, but in one’s relationship with Christ.
Biblical rejoicing is centered on the Lord and not the circumstance. Rejoicing is an act of faith. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom…Yet will I rejoice in the Lord.”
Never forget that happiness often depends on favorable circumstances, but rejoicing is a deliberate expression of joy rooted in God’s unchanging character.
When believers rejoice in the Lord, we are not denying the fact of the suffering; we are not denying that we are in a bad place, but by rejoicing, we are declaring that God, the Creator of the universe, is on our side and working in us and for us.
Rejoicing in the Lord during suffering is an expression of faith. Where there is rejoicing and praise, there is faith.
Then Paul said, “and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh.” This refers to suffering for righteousness’ sake. The true church of the Lord is in the midst of a hostile world; therefore, we must understand that persecution is going to happen. But we should not despair because persecution for righteousness’ sake proves that one is a true follower of Christ. The world and the apostate church does not oppose that which stands for nothing.
Paul used the word flesh as “in my flesh,” meaning that most of the hardships he faced were in his physical body (II Cor. 11:23-26), yet none of these hardships robbed him of his joy.
He then concludes the verse by saying, “for his body’s sake, which is the church.” Paul is declaring that what he suffered, he did it all for the church—the body of Christ—as an example that one can rejoice in the midst of suffering.
