I came across a passage of scripture today that accurately describes my long life as a Christian. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for that is God’s will for those who belong to Christ Jesus,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT) Some of you may be thinking about a storm of life you have been through or maybe even still going through and you are thinking to yourself, “How can those three things always be true?”
Let’s start with “always be joyful”. When the Apostle Paul wrote those words, he was in a prison in Rome with a Roman soldier chained to him so he could not escape and even in that situation he experienced the joy that comes from belonging to Christ and feeling God’s Holy Spirit within him. He was so full of joy in that dire situation that they had to change his guards regularly or he would lead them to Jesus.
Next, let’s look at “don’t stop praying”. Paul isn’t referring to unending public prayers or saying grace over our meal until it is cold. He is encouraging us to keep the line of communication open with God at all times through the Holy Spirit within us. When I was still using my walker, my caregivers were used to hearing me speak to the Lord. One day I had a new young male caregiver who heard me say, “Walk with me, Lord” and thought I was talking to him, so he quietly followed me into the bathroom. As I positioned the walker in front of the commode and said, “Help me get my pants down, Lord” Before I got the word Lord out of my mouth my pants were at my knees. At first I was amazed. Once I realized what happened, I was amused. It was the fastest God has ever answered my prayer. When I’m in pain, I tend to repeat, “Oh God” as my spirit connects with Him. A nurse accused me of using God’s name in vain. I told her I was speaking to Him, not about Him, but I’m not sure she understood the difference.
Finally, what about being thankful in every circumstance? We obviously will not be thankful for everything we encounter in life, but in every situation there is something for which to be thankful. Paul seemed to have little for which to be thankful as he wrote those words, but he was thankful for the people in the church to which he was writing and he was always thankful Jesus turned him around on the road to Damascus.
Let’s face it, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ we have access to joy, prayer and gratitude that those in the world around us do not possess or even understand.