“Being Thankful in the Midst of Heartache”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
It has been a heck of a week for friends and family. We have witnessed the progress of friends and family members recovering from illnesses. We attended a funeral of a friend. Received word of another family member that is fighting health issues. With all these difficult circumstances the bible tells us that it is God’s will for us to always rejoice and pray continually.
This isn’t always easy for a believer to be thankful on their own power, but thankful as believers of Jesus Christ, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us. This is where we need to lean on God’s Word and the power of prayer.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Do I understand how this happens? No, but God tells us to do not lean on our own understanding but trust Him. I am sure many of my readers have experienced God’s peace in difficult circumstances.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So, as we finish the rest of the week, we need to remember to give God thanks. We can always depend on God seeing us through whatever we have to deal with. He is always with us during heartaches. Although the pain may be so piercing that we cannot feel joy now, we can choose to express gratitude with our mouths until it becomes a reality in our hearts. God hears and understands the depth of our pain just as He understood Jesus’ pain when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)
20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, let’s give God praise and glory today no matter what we are facing. Have a great day.
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