Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks
“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
Happy Thanksgiving! This verse was on my heart today as I woke up feeling thankful for all I’ve been given but not necessarily grateful for all my current circumstances.
Giving thanks is God’s will for us; not something He just hopes for us but He wills for us. This verse begins with calling us to rejoice always which the dictionary defines as feeling or showing great delight. Spiritual joy is defined a little differently. According to Theopedia, joy is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope.
I think we can all agree, some days it is really hard to rejoice Every day is not full of good fortune for sure. While certain circumstances may not feel like something to rejoice in, we can have hope in the fact God sees us and is here walking with us.
So what if you just cannot seem to find a way to rejoice? Have you ever asked God to help you? I will be honest, praying continually to me until now would have meant the actual act of praying; head bowed, eyes closed the whole thing. I am far from being versed in theology but from what I’ve been reading about this verse the intent is really that we continually turn our focus to our heavenly father. In all things we experience throughout our day, having a mind and a heart for God will ease fears, provide guidance and grace and allow us to see the joy in the small blessings each day. Taking a pause to actually look for God in the moment often eases my heart.
Sometimes when I cannot seem to rejoice in my own space I turn my focus to spreading joy to others. There are endless possibilities and it really doesn’t take a huge act to help turn someone’s day around. I promise you your heart will be filled with contentment, confidence and hope and you will feel the full weight of joy in your heart by spreading joy to others. This time of year the opportunities to spread joy abound and sometimes it can be as easy as actually looking at that clerk I the checkout lane and speaking kindly to them.
The daily grind can be a struggle full of stress, fear, outside pressure but also joy and happiness. Knowing you can turn it all over to God will give you the freedom to show an attitude of gratitude towards others as well as yourself. I am challenging myself over this holiday weekend to respond to all situations I encounter by praying continuously and recognizing God is with me always. In turn, I am hopeful this will open my eyes to opportunities in my path to bless others instead of responding with judgement or anger or ignorance to the situation they may be facing.
We have all had those moments in life where we can choose to turn to God or choose to blame God. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean we are thankful for the actual circumstance itself but instead we show our thanks by trusting God and turning to him for our strength.
It is so easy to look back at things which happened in my life and easily see that God was there to carry me through even though I may not have always given thanks for His presence at the time. While in the midst of my struggle my response to a situation might have been anger, jealousy, bitterness as I failed to find the joy and blessing of a savior who was yearning to have me turn it all over and trust Him.
As I have gotten older and hopefully a little wiser, I have been more willing to accept God’s love for me. Accepting His grace and knowing no matter what the circumstance He will be there to comfort me and grant me strength to carry forward has allowed me to open my heart. Through Him, there will be some good come from every circumstance. It may not change my disappointment or an aching heart but it will give me the hope I need to continue to move forward.
Having this truth to hold on to is something to rejoice about. The sun rose this morning and I opened my eyes. The current state of my home is pretty out of control with fall and Christmas battling for the prime spot. I can rejoice in the fact I have a home and give thanks for the resources to decorate it or I can choose to be pissed that I never seem to be able to get it all together!
I hope wherever you are today, whatever state of mind or cicumstance which may be upon you, that you can take a moment to step away and rejoice, pray (even if it’s to help you find the joy) and give thanks to God for the blessings in front of you and the hope that rests only in Him.
Today I am so thankful for my sweet family who blesses me just by being mine, my friends who love me through my crazy and especially those spiritual mentors out there who never gave up on pointing me towards the light.
May your day be full of thanks and giving!
