1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“
Short! Precise! Direct! And honest! This passage in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 is amazing. Some say, “Good things come in small packages!” While I am sure that is correct when it comes to a box with a engagement ring; and I do not want to suggest that a marriage proposal is trivial. God forbid! Nothing can be more God honoring, life defining, and life changing than having a having a godly marriage in Christ. However, on a spiritual level, many stumble and acquiesce when it comes to knowing the will of God for their lives. They shrug their shoulders and say, ” I don’t know!” For example, I used my search engine on my laptop and asked, “What is the will of God for my life?” In 0.79 seconds, I had a list of 2,190,000,000 results to review, if I was indeed interested, which I am not! I am interested in knowing the will of God for my life, but only when searching Scripture and finding out what God says in His Word.
The beauty of 1 Thessalonians, written by the Apostle Paul to a thriving and healthy young church under persecution, is not only encouraging to all believers, but also applicable in our daily walk in faith and in our growth as we become more like Christ. Two times in this book, the Apostel tells the church what God’s will is for their lives. First, in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul says, “ For this is the will of God, your sanctification!” In other words, Paul is saying that God’s will for our lives is becoming more and more like Jesus. I’ve always enjoyed this short poem from an anonymous author which says:
Matthew Henry comments and says, “The design of the gospel is to teach men not only what they should believe, but also how they ought to live; not so much to fill men’s minds with notions as to regulate their temper and behaviour. The apostle taught them how to walk, not how to talk. To talk well without living well will never bring us to heaven: for the character of those who are in Christ Jesus is this: They walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” We need to be imitator of Christ in all things (Ephesians 5:1). This is the will of God for our lives!
The second pronouncement of knowing God’s will is in our passage today. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It seems quite clear that God’ s will for us is to worship God by rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. These three imperatives instructs us how to approach God in our worship. I for one, who have had plenty of afflictions, persecutions, and sorrow in my life, yet the command to rejoice is a necessity in order to overcome all obstacles that may come. In spite of my circumstances, I must have a resolve to lift up my joy and devotion to Christ so it may shine brighter than any backdrop of pain and darkness this world may offer. How can this be, one may ask? The prophet Habbakuk wrote down God’s words while the prophet waited for justice to previal. God said to the prophet in Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous shall live by faith!” John Calvin said in his commentary on this passage, “We may lawfully, it is true, ask, nay, sigh and lament, but it must be in such a way that the will of God is more acceptable to us than our own.” So whatever fiery darts the evil one may throw at us, or whatever prosecution and affliction we may face, we also, like the church in Thessalonica, like Habakkuk the prophet before the Babylonian captivity, like all martyrs, saints, and Jesus Christ himself, must by faith rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all things! Our faith, that precious gift from God, is all we need in our affliction so He may receive all glory and praise! Faith is the victory!
To summarize, the Apostle Paul told us what’s God’s will for our lives: to become like Christ and to worship Him in joy, prayer, and thanksgiving! In application, we must build a resolve to do this, not just in word only, but in our actions as well. The following hymn is a good reflection what our hearts need to be like. We must be fully devoted, committed, and resolved in our faith!
Christian Hymn: I Am Resolved by Palmer Hartsough in 1896
