Always Thankful

 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is almost upon us. This year has, in a sense, rushed by rather quickly. But, in other ways, it seems that it’s drug on and on and on.

 

Even though I see them approaching on the calendar, I don’t find myself quite ready for them. I don’t yet have a sense of excitement for the celebrations that are to come.  I don’t find myself yet in the spirit of Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

This is partly due to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. After all, this year has been anything but normal. It’s been one of difficulty. It’s been one of hardship. And, for this reason, we’d rather that it just came to end.

 

Difficulties, of course, are completely normal. Because we live in a world of sin, because we live among a sinful people, and because we ourselves are sinful, our lives are full of hardships. And there’s no way to keep ourselves from them. They are simply the reality in which we live.

 

Yet, even though they are normal, and even though they are to be expected, they can also leave us in a state of discouragement, frustration, and despair. They affect our attitude. They affect our mood. They even affect our faith.

 

When this takes hold of us, we’re told by multiple sources that we’re to focus on the positive rather than the negative. We hear this from mental health experts. We hear this from counselors. We hear this from our religious leaders. And, although he doesn’t state it in this way, the apostle Paul says something very similar.

 

In the above passage, he encourages his readers to rejoice always. And because we’re to do this always, this is something that we’re to do not only when we feel like it. It’s something we’re to do even when our circumstances do not seem like a cause to rejoice.

 

He tells us to pray without ceasing. This means that we’re to never stop praying. We are to pray often. We’re to pray regularly. In fact, we’re to be in a continual state of prayer as we live in a constant state of dependence upon God and trust in him. We’re to do so even when we don’t feel like praying. We’re to do so even when it doesn’t seem that he’s working for our blessing.

 

We’re told to give thanks in all circumstances. And, again, because he tells us to do so in all circumstances, this means that we’re to give thanks even when we don’t feel like it. It means that we’re to give thanks even when we don’t feel all that thankful. It means that we’re to do so even when our circumstances don’t give us reason for thanksgiving.

 

This, Paul says, is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. In other words, because of Jesus, and because of the hope we have in him, this is what God desires of us. He wants these practices to be a part of our everyday life.

 

Although we might say that this is easier said than done, and although we might find it easier to grumble and complain, we do have good reason to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks. We have good reason because, in Jesus, God has provided us with everything we need that we might experience his blessing. He’s provided for us everything necessary that we might receive his forgiveness and salvation.

 

As we, then, approach the holidays, may we keep this in mind. Regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have received God’s blessings. Regardless of the difficulties we’re facing, we’re living in God’s blessing. This has been provided for us in Jesus, and it gives to us every reason to rejoice, to pray, and to offer up our thanksgiving.