08/23/2021
Whether facing trouble, pain, or times of great joy, and happiness, as Christians we are told to rejoice always, and to keep our faith strong enough to succeed in doing so we are encouraged to pray without ceasing. By praying in this way we can face whatever circumstances confront us. Then, once we have learned to rejoice in whatever we have experienced, we are told to faithfully give thanks to God for it. This is how Jesus lived, and how he teaches us to live. His life demonstrates the manner in which we are to walk in our life of faith while rejoicing, and drinking from the cup of God’s will.
“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
No mater the circumstances we face we should do so in the full knowledge that God’s breath of life has been breathed into us, His loving hand is upon us, that He has clothed us in skins like Adam, spiritual armor in His Word , and that the blood of His Son Jesus Christ has redeemed each of us. It is in this way that we walk our path through this world. What then should we fear? What then should cause us to be remorseful, or chained to pain? In knowing, and holding firm to this knowledge, and that He is with us always, nothing can take away our joy, or keep us from rejoicing in Him. Towards this understanding we pray without ceasing, and ask for the strength of His Holy Spirit to fill us as we rejoice and give Him thanks.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
1 John 5:4 ESV
Scripture tells us this repeatedly… that the Lord is with us, that we will be strengthened by our prayers, and that He will lead us through all things. For this we are to be thankful, rejoicing always, and have confidence in His promises… Christ-like. Is this our walk today?
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
So if we are filled with joy and happiness today then give God thanks in prayer because this is His Will for you, but if you are in mourning, sick, or facing trouble, do not give in to the world, or doubt in your faith, but know that the very breath in your body is His, and that He is with you even now… rejoice in your suffering for all things work together for good… even those that seem terrible as we are going through them. So in joy and sadness, good and bad, suffering illness or blessed by good health, our prayers should not cease, and we should lift them up while rejoicing and praising Him, and in thanksgiving… even as we shoulder our cross, and suffer in doing His will.
“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:2-5 ESV
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for the pleasant times of faith when we walk with you in the cool of the evening and experience your peace, but we also thank you Lord when we are challenged by great hardships or pain and must grasp your hand all the harder as we trust in you to give us relief from our suffering. We praise you on the calm seas of life, and in the violent storms that toss us about. We praise you in the still of the night, and through the night terrors that cause us to cry out for you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is with us always, and sees us through all things as we pray without ceasing, and believe without letting go. Hear our prayers Father, and guide us in them by your Holy Spirit. Hear us as we rejoice always and in all things give you thanks, for you are there with us. Merciful are you who sent your Son Jesus to redeem us, and to show us how to walk the path of the righteous. Your grace flows through Him, and His blood washes us clean of sin. Lift us up, made worthy in Him alone, and seat us with Him at your table forevermore. In the knowledge of this eternal promise we pray, rejoice, and give you loving thanks always, and forever. On our day of judgement, and thereafter, Abba, Father, walk peacefully with us in eternity… quiet in your presence, and loving you with all our hearts.
Rich Forbes