“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
What a sweet reminder for me. How often do I forget to pray? A LOT. I worry about things. I try to control things. I talk to friends and ask for people’s advice. I say that I “need to pray about this,” but so often I wait so long to get down to the business of praying. And here is this command to “pray continually”.
One of my sweet friends tells me that when there is a lot on her mind, she just talks it out with God. She speaks it all out in His direction. I love that. Whenever I begin to direct my joy, my longing, my doubt, my cries for help, my worry towards Jesus, something shifts in my heart. And when I pray, I am reminding myself that I never face any problem alone, and THIS is a reason to rejoice always.
So often, I think that God’s commands, while some might see them as restrictive, are actually His prescriptions for peace. He knows that worrying and complaining and focusing on all the hard and negative will not do us any good. He knows that being grateful and rejoicing are medicine for the soul.
So today, even in the midst of being tired and feeling like I don’t have enough energy/skill/endurance to do the things He has called me to well, I am rejoicing that we are not alone on the journey and I’m choosing to talk to Him through each moment. Lord, thank you that You don’t give us commands like this because You are out to ‘get’ us. You give us these commands because Your heart is for our good and for us to draw near to You.