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)
As Christians we are, or should be, consistently in search for God’s perfect will for our lives. The Bible is always our “go to” source to know the heart of God, to learn his ways and to know what is pleasing in his eyes. Knowing God’s will should not seem impossible to us. God does not want us to be ignorant of what he requires. He has laid it out for us in his word either explicitly or implicitly. The word of God really is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119: 105).
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul lays out for us three things that God wills for us that may be easy to overlook if we aren’t paying attention. They are: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances.
The word Paul uses for “rejoice” (khan’ee-ro) means “be cheerful.” And the word he uses for “always” (pan’-tot-eh) means “at all times.” We know that life’s circumstances are very difficult at times. Sickness, death or persecution are afflictions that will affect all of us in one form or another. How are we to be cheerful at all times in the midst of such afflictions?
We begin to answer that question by realizing that our rejoicing (cheerfulness) is not found in our circumstances. The apostle Paul and his fellow laborers suffered many afflictions, yet they commended themselves “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” Paul wrote to the Philippians, Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. (Philippians 3:1 ESV) And, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 ESV) Paul and his companions could be sorrowful in their circumstance yet always rejoicing because their rejoicing was in the Lord. “If everything else changes, yet the Lord does not change; if the sources of all other joy are dried up, yet this is not; and there is not a moment of a Christian’s life in which he may not find joy in the character . . .and promises of God.” (Barnes)
The church in Thessalonica was a persecuted church, yet even so, Paul exhorts them to “Rejoice always.” So, if pleasant circumstances are not to be the source of the Christian’s rejoicing, then what is the source? Two things come to mind. First we should rejoice that God sent his son to us to be our savior. On the cross Jesus took our sin and absorbed God’s wrath on our sin in our place. In the place of our sin he gave us his righteousness so that the Father could now accept us as blameless (Romans 8:32). The second thing in which the Christian can rejoice is the promises of God. God has promised never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13). Jesus promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). God also promised that all things will work together for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
Perhaps the prophet Habakkuk captures the sentiment most accurately. In the midst of chaos all around him he sang: Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)
Do you rejoice in the Lord even during unpleasant circumstances? Do you have a reason to rejoice?
Scriptures for meditation:
Romans 12:12
1 Peter 4:13