This is God's Will For Us

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Always be joyful? Ouch!

Never ever stop praying? That’s a doozie.

Be thankful in this horrible thing I’m going through? I don’t think so!

Let’s face it. We are in the midst of difficult days. We all feel the pressure of a continual battle raging on so many fronts in our lives, in our country, and in our world. We may even look out over the horizon and see nothing but an unrelenting struggle. The kind of ongoing adversity where “everything” seems so very exhausting. Relationships are hard, health is a fight, finances seem a chase, disappointments are smacking, losses are lingering, and simply nothing is working like it should.

So “always be joyful” and “never stop praying” and “being thankful” seem to me, a little hard to grasp.

Do you ever say to yourself, “Why can’t we just go back to those camelot days where we felt His joy?? Even though the days were hard, we were still so alive and full of joy experiencing His faithfulness to us”. Well, maybe we should go back!! Pastor Tom shared from Psalm 143:5, recently, that we need to “remember” God’s faithfulness in our lives.

“I remember the days of old. I ponder all Your great works and think about what You have done.” Psalm 143:5

When we’re able to thank God for how faithful and good He has been to us in days past, it truly builds our faith in the “right now.” We are compelled by this truth to declare over ourselves and others that “God, you are faithful and You are good.” And though this hard thing is just breaking our heart, God being with us draws a joy and a thankfulness from deep within our souls, as we surrender to Him. We know that we are not alone. And we know that He is faithful and He is good.

In the midst of the hard stuff going on, God has not changed. Our circumstances may have changed, but He remains the same forever.  God’s love for us remains perfect in our lives, and we lack for nothing in Him.  He keeps constant watch over us as the apple of His eye, and desires to tenderly lead us thru the hills and valleys under His loving care and fierce protection. We are safe with Him.

This choice to remember God’s faithfulness is a sure fix to our focus. Our line of sight to the truth is constantly being challenged, even subtly, by the gravity of this fallen world. Our sinful nature, unrepented sin, and the weight of sin done unto us, can cause a dangerous loss of spiritual focus. Right now, we might be experiencing the tension of being tethered to this fallen world. But there is a way up!! When we set our gaze upon the Lord and remember His faithfulness to us (and to others), we are tethering our heart to hope, to grace, to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to eternity, and to our Mighty God!

Think about Jeremiah when he wrote these words. His life was just plain rotten!

“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭25‬

Jeremiah’s world seemed so dark because of how far Israel had fallen. Yet, he saw the goodness of God when he looked back and remembered. He could give Him heartfelt praise and rest in ALL THAT GOD WOULD DO, as he did not forget ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE.

We can all fall into prayerlessness at times, lose our joy and fail to be grateful if we don’t make a habit of remembering the faithfulness and goodness of God in our lives. If it’s all rotten right now, then consider your former days with the Lord and His faithfulness to you. Let your stones of remembrance help you rejoice, keep talking with God, and be thankful in all circumstances. He is faithful and He is good and He is with us.

Beloved, this is God’s will for us who belong to Christ Jesus. Amen. ❤️


Additional Scriptures: Deuteronomy 31:8, Proverbs 3:3, Psalm 23, Psalm 17:8, Psalm 34:8, Isaiah 26:3, Romans 8:8, Hebrews 10:32, 1 Thessalonians 5:24