Tag Archives: Pray
God’s Will
January 22, 2016“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1ST THESSALONIANS 5:16-18
It’s always fun to boil the word of God down and really focus on words, meaning and application. I’m no Bible scholar but several verses hit me the other day as I was considering and enjoying a blog written recently by my colleague and friend, Steve Adams. Unlike Steve, I’m electing not to split ‘His will’ into three categories, but rather one element – God’s will. These verses, I believe, make no such distinction, and delving into systemic theology isn’t my strong suit. The first verse (above) speaks of three things, and these three things according to Paul, are the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. These three variables, if seen through and done together, are the key to accessing God’s will for us.
- Rejoice always
- Pray continually (without ceasing)
- Give thanks in all circumstances
The striking thing(s) about this verse and these variables is that the list is short, it’s fairly hard to accomplish, and it has little or nothing to do with your daily challenges and circumstances. In fact, we’re to give thanks in ALL circumstances, not just the ones that we benefit from. That’s right, give thanks and NOT get bent out of shape. But this is God’s will for our lives, that we would constantly and consistently rejoice, that prayer would be as natural to us as breathing, and that being thankful even when things aren’t going our way would be the norm.