Do you want to know the will of God for your life? Most of us would say that we do. God has a specific will for each of us, and then a more generalized will for everyone. The more specific will might be that He wants you to go into a certain career, who to marry, or not marry at all, or where to live. We learn that through prayer and looking for the Lord’s direction and leading. The Bible, though, is filled with verses that tell us His more generalized will for all of us. Today’s Scripture is one such passage. It is only three verses, and a total of 21 words, 5 in just the first two verses. God’s message in this passage is short and to the point, but very important for us to pay attention to.
There are three instructions here that the Apostle Paul gives us, that as believers we should be doing. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything. These may seem simple enough, but are worth looking into more closely.
The first instruction Paul gives us is to rejoice always (vs. 16). It is just two short words, 13 letters in the New King James Version. John 11:35, “Jesus wept”, is the shortest verse in the English Bible, and consists of 9 letters. However, in the original Greek, I Thessalonians 5:16 is the shortest. In the original Greek the verse in I Thessalonians is 14 letters, whereas the verse in John is 16 letters. It’s not a contest, though, just a bit of Bible trivia. Jesus wept, He suffered so that we could rejoice evermore. We can rejoice because He took our sins. We can rejoice because we are never alone. We can rejoice because of our hope of heaven, which Jesus promised all those who call upon Him. Christians can rejoice because, no matter what happens, we are forgiven and saved.
The second order that Paul gives is to pray without ceasing (vs. 17). Praying continually doesn’t mean being on our knees all day. It means maintaining an attitude of prayer, though not always praying audibly. We need to have a mindset that God is always there. Having a prayerful attitude will acknowledge our dependence on God. We can pray frequent, spontaneous and short prayers to Him throughout the day.
Talking with God throughout the day invites Him into even the smallest details of our life. Even though He knows all, we receive blessings because we will feel His presence throughout every day. The Lord wouldn’t tell us to pray if he were not going to respond. If we want God to respond, though, we must meet some conditions. We must have a right relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior. We must make right requests, and we should pray specifically and with confidence. Nothing is too small to share with Jesus.
Lastly, Paul instructs us to give thanks in everything (vs. 18). We do not necessarily need to be thankful for everything, but definitely in everything. When something bad or evil happens we can be thankful for God’s presence, and for the good that He can accomplish in the situation. We should give thanks to God in all circumstances. He can use the worst circumstances we go through for our good when we love Him. No matter what we are dealing with, God is always present, always loving us, and always providing for us.
If we see God in all things, we are better able to give thanks. Our hearts should be grateful to Him, even when we face difficulties. He is intimately involved in our circumstances. If we are Christians, and we love God, He will work everything out for our good (Romans 8:28).
Focus on the good instead of the bad. That will help us develop an attitude of gratitude. Being grateful is a choice, and it can help change our perspective in life. Choosing to be grateful in every situation can keep our hearts filled with joy. It opens us up to receive God’s blessings.
Paul shared that these three things were God’s will for every believer, and things we should be putting into practice every day. Our joy, being in prayer, and showing thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances. The more we walk closely with Jesus, the more we will be thankful, the more we will converse with Him in prayer, and the more joy we will have in our life.
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