1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 God’s Will for Us
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV).
Paul gives us simple instructions for us if we want to do God’s will—rejoice, pray, thank. I believe that if we do these three things, our commitment to Him will be obvious to others. I also believe that if we do these things, we will live in a manner that will draw others to Him.
“Rejoice always.” I take that to mean that I should be joyful, with a pleasant countenance on my face and the love of Christ showing in my heart and actions all the time. It sounds easy, but we all know that it is difficult to maintain a joyful attitude today with all the garbage that satan is throwing at us. It becomes easier when we remember that the one who lives within us, Jesus Christ, defeated satan several thousand years ago, and He gave us the joy of living in that victory.
“Pray continually.” Now that’s pretty hard. I have to go to work and interact with others. How can I be praying then? Well, not all of our prayers need to be audible. Many of my prayers are done in my heart or in my spirit even when, or perhaps especially when, I am with others. How can I pray when I am driving? That’s often a good time to pray, rather than saying some of the other things that might leap out of our mouths. Often others I see when I am driving “obviously” need prayer or we need to pray for protection from them and from our own mistakes. Those prayers can frequently be spoken aloud. How can I pray when I am studying or reading? This is another good time to be praying, praying for insight and understanding, and probably not praying aloud. I think God wants us to be aware of His constant presence, His nearness, all the time. He wants us to know that conversation with Him is instantaneous any time. Paul used the word, “continually” instead of “continuously.” I believe that he used continually to indicate that even though we can’t actually pray all the time, we can maintain an atitude of prayerfulness all the time.
“Give thanks in all circumstances.” Many have said that we need to be thankful in all circumstances, but not necessarily for all circumstances. Others say that we really should be thankful for all circumstances because those are often the times for drawing closer to Him and for growing. Whichever we believe, we need to be thankful for God’s presence, help, and love through all circumstances. It certainly is true that, whatever the circumstance, we do have many things for which to be thankful.
So, thank you, Paul, for reminding us of these three instructions from God. I do know that when I keep them in mind, my life is happier and, certainly, more peaceful.