“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess 5:16-18)
Give thanks for everything? For the second spilled bowl of cereal this morning? For the dress I wanted to wear, but I forgot to iron? For the seemingly 45 minute wait in the checkout line with two screaming kids? AND I have to be joyful, too? YES! The key is in the middle section of these verses; pray continually.
Dear God, Thank you for my beautiful child, whom you have entrusted to my care. May I raise him to love you and honor you. Thank you that I have a child to spill his cereal. Help me show your love to him.
Dear God, Thank you for teaching me to be flexible. I’ll iron this dress when I have more time, and wear something else today. Thank you that I have a choice of things to wear.
Dear God, Thank you for teaching me patience. I know I can’t do it alone. Please give me your strength and peace. Help me to be a testimony to those around me while I deal with my screaming children.
There are days when I am so frustrated, that thanking God is not on the top of my priority list. But let me tell you, that it should be. I have these verses on my refrigerator to serve as a constant reminder of what Paul has instructed us to be, and do. BE JOYFUL – don’t you find it easier to face a problem with the love of Jesus in your heart and a big smile on your face? PRAY CONTINUALLY – it is in prayer that we gain our strength and fill ourselves with the love that Jesus has to offer. GIVE THANKS IN ALL…- the next time something has you frazzled, find an element of that problem that you can be thankful for – it will make all the difference.
We have this promise from Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Would you dare to doubt God’s promise? I wouldn’t. Be joyful my friend. This life is only temporary.
Today’s version with a different perspective:
Thank You My Father
Written 2005
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess 5:16-18)
Give thanks for everything? For being in the hospital for almost a month? For not being able to drive myself anywhere or basically do anything alone? For having to give up a job that I love? AND I have to be joyful, too? YES! The key is in the middle section of these verses; pray continually.
Dear God, Thank You for the time I spent in the hospital. You showed me many different things including being more empathetic to the patients that I care for. You have been so close I can feel Your arms wrapped around me. In my time of total despair…when I had heard one too many times from a Dr’s lips “we don’t know what is wrong with you,” You sent one of Your children to comfort me. Dear sweet Nancy, a lady from my church, who had not visited me up to this point, was in the hospital for an outpatient chemo treatment, and moments after the Drs left the room and I started to cry….there she was…offering prayers of comfort and hugs of love. You are amazing God.
Dear God, Thank You for all the people who were willing to drive me to physical therapy 2 times a week for nearly 6 months! They were such a blessing to me that I can’t even really put it into words. They definitely shared Christ’s love with me and my family. I got to know people better that I would not normally had opportunity to do and they got to fulfill a command to love and serve others. There were many times that I felt frustrated by being housebound, by taking a shower only on a shower chair and when someone was home, by having to use a wheelchair everywhere I went…but Dear Lord, You showed me the blessings in that as well. It brought out nurturing and caring in my husband…it made my children feel helpful and useful when I asked them to do something for me…it humbled me to ask for help when I needed it…it kept me very close to my Heavenly Father…
Dear God, Ever since I was 5 years old I have wanted to be a nurse. It must have been a calling from you, cause I didn’t falter from that desire and went to nursing school. The 10 years that I worked as a nurse were very rewarding, and I loved going to work each and every day. I loved caring for people in their time of need and I loved solving the crisis that would arise in ICU/CCU so often. But in a blink of an eye…it was all over. I was confused Father…I had become a patient, and was ready to get back to work with my new found empathy! My eyes were opened to many a thing you don’t realize when you are not the one laying in the hospital bed! But Lord, one day You made it very clear to me why this was all happening…and I thank You for Your wisdom and guidance. The Pastor talked about taking care of the next generation of believers…and he said, “What will be your sacrifice to pass the baton of ministry on to the next generation?” Lord God, You very clearly said to me, “your job is your sacrifice.” Months of uncertainty and waiting were instantly put into perspective!
I have learned from experience, that thanking God is top priority…it helps to put all other things into perspective. Those problems I encountered and wrote about above were annoyances…and hindrances…but not necessarily life changing events. Now I can say I have lived through a life changing event, and God was there every step of the way. He has brought people into my life that I would not have otherwise met…He has placed me into ministries that I would never have had the time to do had I continued working….He has provided financially for my family through my disability…He has provided my family with a stay-at-home mom which they never had before…I am home to help my kids with their homework after school (I used to work afternoon shift 3 days a week)…He has blessed me beyond belief, and I certainly do not deserve it.
I give God all the glory, and thank Him for my gift…God only gives good and perfect gifts…even when we don’t understand…when we don’t see the sun behind the clouds….we we are clouded by doubt and despair…God is there, waiting for us to thank Him, to praise Him and to reach out to Him for help. Don’t try to figure out WHY something is happening…just accept that it is, that it is part of God’s plan, that He will see You through it, and that He will use it for His glory.
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
Lisa Gopp