Opening Prayer: Always, continually, and in all circumstances, that is your will for me. Forgive me, O Lord, when I offer you so much less than that. Thank you that your desire for me is so much bigger than that. Give me the strength and the grace and the courage to accomplish your will.
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Journal: What do these verses stir up in you? What is your current level of joy, prayer, and gratitude? How will you live a life that is pursuing all three?
Reflection: “Rejoice always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Most of us are content to be joyful when things are good, prayerful when they are not, and thankful only when we are happy and healthy. But the Scriptures tell us a much different story. God’s will for us is much bigger than that.
God’s will for us is to rejoice always. That’s right, always! Even when things aren’t going so well. Even when we are sad or sorrowful or depressed. The beautiful thing about joy is that it’s a choice. It is not contingent on everything being rosy in our lives and our world. Joy can coexist with sorrow and sadness and pain. It is much deeper than an emotion; it is an attitude, a state of mind. It is a determination to hold fast to God’s goodness and his love, even when our hearts are breaking. Because joy is about trust, a deep-seated trust that God is always working for our ultimate and eternal good, and that he will take care of us just the way he promised.
Secondly, it is God’s will that we pray continually. Not just every now and then. Not just when we think we should. Not just when we’re feeling guilty or dutiful. Not just when we want something. He wants to hear from us always, and he wants to be with us in continual, intimate union. He is not just the one we turn to when we are in a jam or need a favor, but the one we are in constant communication with. That’s what a genuine relationship is all about. It’s ongoing, it’s give and take, it’s back and forth, it's speaking and listening, it’s being with. In other words, it’s continual.
And finally, God’s will is that we live a life of gratitude, constantly giving thanks. Not just when things are going our way, but in all circumstances, knowing that he is always at work in ways we can’t see or understand. Knowing that he is doing things in us and through us that can only be accomplished through struggle and strife and dependence. The hard times are the ones that accomplish his deeper purposes in and through us, and that’s something to be thankful about.
Pray
Closing Prayer: Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, MSG)
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