17 March - God's Will for You
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Paul was coming to the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians. Paul listed out his exhortations one after another in short, succinct manner. Many of these are reflections of his specific concerns for the Thessalonian Church e.g., respect spiritual authority, reprimand the idle, don’t retaliate with wrong for wrong. Then he came to verses 16 to 18 where under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he spoke of what they need to ‘always’ and ‘constantly’ do: be joyful, pray and give thanks, reiterating that this is God’s will for them that is found in Christ Jesus.
Always be joyful because God has done so much for us in Christ Jesus. No circumstances can ruin this. God will continue to do exceedingly great and wonderful stuff for us and more than what we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). Think about these things and our attention will turn to Christ and our hearts begin to rejoice. Joy (or happiness as I prefer to call it because we can relate to being happy better) is something less movable, less fleeting, less boastful, than temporary pleasures of life. And amazingly God wants us to be happy (many Christians struggle with this notion because it doesn’t sound biblical). He designed joy (or happiness), not Satan.
Always praying because it’s our lifeline. The reason we don’t pray or don’t pray always is because we depend on ourselves for solutions and sustenance, and not God. If we truly lived for him, we would learn that prayer is the only lifeline we need to cling on to amidst the rough sea of intimidating waves and predatory sharks. After a while of praying as our lifeline, praying later becomes natural to us, an automation, a constant companion of comfort and joy. What to pray? Everything! From thanksgiving to emergency requests, from cries of the heart to silence of a grateful heart. Church traditions have provided a rich source of contemplative prayers that we can explore e.g., “Jesus Prayer” of the Eastern Orthodox church, and “Centering Prayer” of Trappist monks from the United States in the 1970s.
Giving thanks in all circumstances is an amazing “will of God” for us. It’s because he is sovereignly in control of all things and still having us favourably in his mind. It’s because he is working things out for us in love (Romans 8:28). And that he will never leave nor forsake us. Giving thanks is remedy to our resentment and provide healing to our bruised soul. Giving thanks humbles us and gives peace to our troubled mind. Remember, it’s for all circumstances. The Lord is with us; our powerful Anglican exertion.
The Thessalonians had their fair share of persecution from outside and battles from inside, from issues of behaviours to core theological ones about Jesus’ second return and bodily resurrection. Yet they didn’t change a single thing about the spiritual reality they had experienced in Christ Jesus. It is God’s will that they and us be always joyful, always praying and always giving thanks.
PONDER
What are the current circumstances that are stopping you from being happy, praying and thanking God always?
PROMISE
Know that it is God’s will for us to always be joyful, praying and giving thanks.
PRAYER
Teach me and enable me, Lord God, to do these three things constantly in my life.
Article by the Rev Dr Richard Loh Li Cher from St George’s Church, Penang. He is a team member of the Diocesan Spiritual Formation Platform, a Chest Physician in private practice and was formerly Professor of Medicine in two universities in Malaysia.