GOD: “My child, I want you to have joy all the time, pray without stopping, and think thanks for everything!”
ME: What? Non-stop? Sounds a bit unrealistic, don’t you think? How can you ask that of me? You know how difficult, irritating, and frustrating life can be? How dreary and mundane routines can seep all my strength down to the bones?
The Lord is kind to us. He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust (Psalm 103:14). He also knows the power of being renewed in our mind to think on truth, so in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, He gave us one of the two most direct commands to be th(i)nkful in all the New Testament.
A Closer Look at the Three
REJOICE ALWAYS. Rejoicing is the outflow of joy inside. Joy is my calm enthusiastic confidence in the presence of God’s face shining on me, the goodness of God’s character, and the perfection of God’s sovereign plans generally and for me specifically. As part of the fruit of the Spirit, it comes from His help inside my heart and mind no matter what is happening around me (Romans 5:3, 2 Corinthians 6:10, James 1:2).
Happiness is tied to happenings. Joy comes from the faces of precious people – this is a theme throughout Scripture. When you spend more time on your face seeking His face, you realize that our struggles are for a host of greater goods – developing character and steadfast consistency, drawing us closer to Him and each other, giving us a chance to advance the gospel, etc. There is not one thing that God does to us because He is evil or angry with us. Every good or bad thing – always – is from His love for us and His desire for our Christlikeness.
PRAY CONSTANTLY. This carries the idea that you practice God’s presence beside you, as though you are in an ongoing conversation with Him throughout the day. Don’t stop praying. Don’t imagine He is not there. See your good health, or your stumbling upon a great sale as gifts from His hand. When the tire goes flat, or the bride abandons the wedding, immediately ask what He wants you to do or say. Your life, your days, must be an ongoing conversation between you and your Creator-Father who doles out enormous wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5, Luke 18:1-8).
GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING. When you have a “big God theology,” believing that God is the author, orchestrator, and fine-tuner of every circumstance of your life – AND you have a calm enthusiastic confidence that His face is shining on you, AND you are talking to Him non-stop as you move through your days – you see things not just as good, but from the One Who is good and defines good. They might be little things like smelling blooms or big things like getting pregnant after a decade of waiting and praying. You are not just “thankful for” these things, you are “thankful to” Him. This thankfulness also loops back around and gives you more joy.
Thankfulness As A Firstborn Child
Here is what the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon wrote:
“The more we pray, the more we rejoice. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul; they fly away, and in their place, streams of sacred delight pour into the heart. At the same time, the more rejoicing, the more praying. When the heart is in a quiet condition and full of joy in the Lord, then also will it be sure to draw near to the Lord and worship. Holy joy and prayer act and react on each other.
Observe, however, what immediately follows in the text: ‘give thanks in everything.’ When joy and prayer are married, their firstborn child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have and in the prospect of what is yet to come.”
Putting It into Practice
Recently it was discovered that my dear husband needed a three-hour delicate surgery. It was a rare disease that had affected his ear. As we readied ourselves to travel seven hours to the city that offered this operation with an expert in this area, our hearts felt a bit anxious and overwhelmed. There was some warning that this cholesteatoma could break through the lining of the brain.
What a perfect opportunity for us to put into practice what we know to be truth! We indeed tried to pray without ceasing – a constant awareness of walking with the Lord and talking to him. The rejoicing was a byproduct of realizing that God loves us and is in control, no matter the outcome. We could rejoice in His promise to never leave, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
As they wheeled David back into theatre (surgery) I was able to think thanks by beginning to write down things for which I gave praise to God.
As the hours went on, my list got longer.
David made it through the surgery and they were able to remove the disease and spare the lining to the brain. As we returned to our little room close to the hospital where we spent 10 days of healing before the follow-up appointment, David wanted to add more the thinkful list. Truly we had so much for which to think thanks.
Now, let me make it clear, that everything is not a bed of roses. In the past week, we had a precious young mother, age 33, pass away in our church. Difficult and dark times may be the corridors God has for us to walk. But as we walk, step-by-step, we can trust His character and promises – our sins are gone and His face is shining in favor on us. We need to practice His presence and talk with Him about everything. And we need to thank Him because everything in our lives has purposefully come from Him.
th(i)nkful 