“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT)
While these are helpful words, are these the verses we’d likely turn to when seeking to comfort someone at a time of great loss? Likely not, but I want to balance these verses with the words of Jesus in Matthew 26:26-29: “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take this and eat it, for this is My body.’ And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘Each of you drink from it, for this is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark My words – I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.”
Why these verses? Because Jesus is thanking His Father for the privilege of offering Himself in death, for shedding His own blood and laying down His young life. Let that sink in for a minute. If Jesus can and did give thanks to the Father for the privilege of offering Himself on our behalf, how much more should we celebrate the privilege of laying down our lives for Him – in life and in death.
It’s one thing to celebrate and praise and honor the Lord at Baptism or even a wedding of two people who love Jesus, but while it’s good, it’s expected. What opens lost people’s eye’s and heart are the words of living and dying saints who are praising the Lord for the gift of death because they know when they close their eyes in death they will open them in the presence of their Savior.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: “The measure of our spirituality is the amount of praise and thanksgiving in our prayer.” Prayer in the midst of heartache and pain should still offer reverence, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving to our Savior. But why? Because the greatest gift in ANY circumstance is the presence of the Lord! If we can’t count on Jesus in the hard times, why praise Him at all? He doesn’t promise to only be with us in the good times, it says in Hebrews 13:5 that He will NEVER leave or forsake us!
As I struggle with more days I feel weak and it’s difficult for me to get much accomplished, on some levels my extended time in bed reminds me of more opportunity to praise and honor the Lord for the gift of His presence. It’s then He often brings to mind a Scripture to ponder or someone to whom I should reach out. He reminds me when I die, I’ll be with Him, but I’m not dead yet, so be grateful I can still be useful to Him even if only in small ways.
Praise for the Lord must be irrespective of our circumstances. He doesn’t change and His love for us and His presence with us stands firm whether things are going well or poorly. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” “Yeh, but what if I’m out of work, all alone, no money, no place to live, NOTHING!” I’ve been there and it was in that very circumstance I learned I could trust the Lord because He’s all I needed. He is our Provider and will give us everything we need exactly when we need it.
On those days when I had no money for food, admittedly, there were a few days I went to bed hungry, but often He would send someone to take me out or give me a few dollars. And when I had no money to pay my rent, He ALWAYS supplied my need. HE HAS NEVER FAILED ME IN MY TIMES OF NEED, AND HE WON’T FAIL YOU WHEN YOUR TRUST IS IN HIM! We can give Him praise and thanksgiving regardless of our circumstances! He’s deserving, but equally important, we NEED to nurture His Spirit within us.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 