1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ESV
What if your baby’s diaper pail is full and as you begin pulling the plastic bag out, it rips and… well you get the picture. Would you be rejoicing or giving thanks?
What if your husband, who is a farmer, is out on the tractor when a nearby driver is texting and runs off the road killing him making you a young widow and leaving your three young children without a father?
What if you are pregnant with your first child when the doctor tells you that your baby is still born?
What if, at age fifty-five, after you’ve given your heart and soul to your career, your employer informs you that you’re being let go?
What if your best friend from high school dies from cancer at age 66?
What if… life happens? Are you able to rejoice; to give thanks; to pray?
We’re not robots are we? We have feelings when things like this happen. We get angry. We feel defeated, depressed. We feel worthless. We want to lash out at someone, but who? God is pretty convenient sometimes.
How can we obey these verses? Paul wrote that this is God’s will for us, but how do we do it? In fact, it can be just as difficult to obey these verses when everything is going well as it is when life sucks.
Yes, life can be very painful at times. But just as Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers that God loved them; that the power of the Holy Spirit was working in them; that death is not the end, but the ultimate victory is ours through Christ - he is reminding us of these same truths as well.
What if when life happens you not only feel the pain or the joy of the moment, but you put yourself in the hands of God? What if you pray?
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