1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We are made NEW in Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that when it says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” When I was first learning about what this meant, I continued to think of it as a switch, like now that I am a Christian and made new the old is gone, so I shouldn’t struggle any more, right? I realized pretty quickly that even when you are a Christian you struggle, a lot. It’s different though because you have hope. We are no longer living our lives burdened by sin and shame, but we live a life with the knowledge that we are loved and forgiven. Done. Finished.
For me, it’s hard to always remember that. When life is going great, yeah, great, then I can easily remember how I am living a renewed life in communion with the living God. But what about when things don’t go well? What about when you get in a car crash, or your family starts having issues, or maybe your niece dies suddenly. Then all of a sudden, it’s harder to see the blessings. That’s where we have to trust God’s way is the best way and we learn from 1 Thessalonians that we are supposed to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in ALL circumstances. “Oh, man, for real, Jesus? In all circumstances?” Yes. In all circumstances. Nobody is asking you to be fake. Jesus is asking you to look for the good and see where you can grow.
When my niece died, my sister and her husband were devasted, but they amazed me with how well they did what this verse told them to do; rejoice, pray, and give thanks. They honored their daughter and saw the bits of good that God brought in the immediate and gave thanks. They watched as God changed their lives and they prayed. A lot. They could have easily cursed the man upstairs and been full of anger and hate, but instead, they chose to trust.
You may or may not be in a devastating situation, but we all go through ups and downs. In your next down, I challenge you to rejoice, give thanks, and pray. Trust that God truly has your life in His hands. Don’t just passively think but make a list of where God took care of you and be comforted by that. God loves you and He has a plan for your life.