“Rejoice, Pray and Be Thankful”
By Dianne Prince
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
In our scripture today, we are reminded that in addition to salvation, God’s will for us is to be content in every state and under all conditions. His will is for us to rejoice always. It is not in God’s plan for us to allow our joy to be stolen by the enemy or to allow our joy to be held captive by those whose sole intent is to upset our day.
Further, God’s will also is for us to pray continually. Continuous prayer does not mean to pray without interruption. To pray continuously means to maintain an attitude of prayer as we go about our daily business and it means to seek God’s guidance at every turn. When we are afraid, pray. When the enemy disrupts our faith, pray. When we cannot find a parking spot, pray. And when we get an unexpected medical diagnosis, dig in and pray.
Yes, God’s will for us is to rejoice always, to pray continually, and finally, God’s will for us is to give thanks in all circumstances. It pleases God not only when we thank Him for the good times, but He smiles when we thank Him in the midst of an unfavorable, painful, worrisome experience. Why? Because both good and bad are needed for us to become stronger in our faith and for us to learn to stand on the promises of God during hard times. And thanksgiving tells God that we are trusting Him with the outcome although what we see and what we are hearing is not in our favor.
Today, make a deliberate effort to rejoice through the good and the bad, to pray about everything and to give thanks in all circumstances.
