Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
As we reach Day 62 of our 100 Day Prayer, it is good to be reminded by Paul to pray continually and joyfully and to give thanks IN all circumstances. Dr. Snyder explains what Paul means by the word “in.”
“Notice he didn’t say give thanks for all circumstances, as if we’re supposed to enjoy or want trouble or distress. But giving thanks in all situations means to offer our appreciation to God regardless of what’s happening to us at the moment, even if we don’t like it, even if it’s the exact opposite of what we prayed for. Such exercises of discipline show that we’re acknowledging that God’s will and ideas for us are better than ours. We don’t have to like our circumstances, but we can thank God for whatever he is accomplishing in us through them. This is, he says, God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.
It’s the goal of a lifetime to learn this one great lesson: God’s will is always better than ours. His ways are always and in every case higher than ours, and he wants us to get the point that the best and highest prayer we can ever pray is ‘Let your will be done.’
When the time is right and if it’s for our good and is his will, then he will bring about our desires, often even above and beyond what we’re praying for.”
TODAY’S PRAYER: List all the trials that God has sent your way or that you are going through today and praise him for every one of them. Thank him again that he cares enough to tailor-make daily experiences for your growth and to draw you into his eternal good purposes.
- God of the Last Minute - September 25, 2018
- Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 100 – A New Day - April 10, 2018
- Your 100 Day Prayer: Day 99 – The Final Chapter - April 9, 2018
