Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks
Introduction
Today’s Bible study comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “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).” I like to use the ESV for my Bible study because it is the most clear to me but pick the translation that you are most comfortable with for your study and reading. I am going to break this down into each individual verse though these could have been all one verse. They each stand alone as important in the daily life of Christians.
Rejoice Always
The first thing that I want to make clear here is that this is a commandment, meaning its not really optional though it is incredibly difficult. True joy is not circumstantial. What I mean by that is that a bad day at work doesn’t steal your joy, it might make you upset but doesn’t have an impact on joy. Joy comes from the many blessings we receive from God in Christ. I can be having the worst day and look outside and find a rainbow or the most beautiful sunset and am reminded of the promise and blessings I have. James 1:2 also helps expound on this concept for us it says, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (ESV).” The NIV uses perseverance instead of steadfastness but the point remains the same. We should have joy in our trials because it makes our faith stronger in the end.
Pray Without Ceasing
Prayer is our primary means of communicating with the Father and there is great power in our prayers. Prayer also has the ability to turn sorrow into joy. As we communicate with the Father, he takes those sorrows upon himself and gives us joy in its place. One misconception about this verse is the meaning of “pray without ceasing.” At first it appears to mean to pray all the time and while that may be possible at times it isn’t practical. What Paul really is saying here is that as life allows and you have the time to set aside, pray. Prayers don’t have to be long winded essays they can be short text messages to God.
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
Throughout Scripture we see the connection of prayer and thanksgiving. While “rejoicing always” is difficult “giving thanks in all circumstances” may be harder. Its not something that comes naturally to most of us. In fact, only through grace can we accomplish this. The default program of most people is to complain, its just what we do. But there is always something worth giving thanks for, though sometimes it is not until later that we realize what appeared as an inconvenience was actually a blessing in disguise.
For This is God’s Will for you in Christ Jesus
The commands in these verses are the will of God for our lives. They are important in that they combine all aspects of our lives while also driving us to be more in tune with Christ. If we through grace are able to achieve these things we are truly living our the will of God in our lives.
