Rejoicing and gratitude? Sometimes they require an act of the will
By Dean Collins
On January 1, I wrote down a handful of Scriptures that would be my prayer guide for the year. One of these passages is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and says this:
“Rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
I memorized this passage when I was 18. I have sung it, quoted it, and prayed it hundreds of times over the decades. Yet I still often struggle with living it out. Rejoicing seems to be a tough assignment on many days.
On days when the sun is shining and work is working and children and grandchildren are healthy and things within my areas of responsibility seem fine, it is much easier, even natural, to have joy and rejoice.
The challenge, of course, is that there are many days and seasons where life is hard, relationships are challenged, and work feels like I am carrying a bag of rocks up a steep mountain. On these days I have to will myself to rejoice in God’s goodness, even when some of it seems blocked from my view.
These difficult days then lead to the second challenge of obedience to Paul’s instructions, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Rejoicing and gratitude do not come naturally in the middle of struggle and crisis. Maybe that is why the apostle Paul didn’t stop with this verse when giving us guidance. He followed these instructions with these words:
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
It is not natural for us to rejoice in the middle of suffering or to be grateful when we experience more suffering and less relief. It is the Holy Spirit in us that creates the capacity and space for us to be surprised by joy as C.S. Lewis suggests. And when we allow God’s Spirit to speak to us, we do realize that God is with us and we are grateful for his presence and renewed by his strength.
Oswald Chambers offered these words of wisdom in his devotional book:
“To those who have had no agony Jesus says, ‘I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.”
The prophet Jeremiah experienced the kind of moments Paul experienced and Oswald Chambers wrote about. In the middle of suffering at the hands of his own countrymen and while fulfilling the difficult assignment God gave him, Jeremiah received God’s instruction to buy some land from a relative who would soon make him an offer.
At the surface that may not seem odd. However, the land was basically in the middle of a war zone. It was land the Babylonians would take and keep for decades. From a human perspective, to purchase the land would seem foolish. Jeremiah did what God told him to do. And in the spirit of Paul’s instructions, he prayed this prayer:
“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. “
Jeremiah did what seemed ridiculous and offered his act of obedience back to the Lord because he realized God is good and will keep his promises, even when we cannot see how or when. We may not see the outcomes of God’s kept promises in our lifetimes. Yet we cling to them by faith, knowing that God is in control.
Today is a good day to trust that he who calls you is surely faithful! Even on days when the burden is too heavy, the pain too great, and the outcomes unknown, by faith we can rejoice, give thanks, and pray diligently knowing that God is merciful, faithful, and will do everything he has promised.
Lord, hear our prayers in this season of striving. We surrender our burdens and struggles to you, fully trusting that you will not only hear our prayers but also answer them. We will rejoice that you are with us and we will give thanks for your mercy and grace. Thank you for Jesus who has redeemed us and promises to restore all things when he comes back in glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Jeremiah 32:6-25, 27, 36-37, 39-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 19-21, 23-24 ESV
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
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