Beginning with verse 16 of 1st Thessalonians 5 Paul gives some poignant directives. Each one is an impact statement: easy to remember but not so easy to implement. They are personal to each and every believer.
The first cluster should be considered together. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Use these injunctions to answer the question, “Are you making progress in coping with your personal circumstances?”
If you take Paul’s words at face value your personal circumstances, whatever they may be, are “God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” That might be hard for you to accept, but that’s what Paul says. Since that is true you are to give thanks in those circumstances.
To illustrate this from the life experience of Paul read again Acts 16. Paul and Silas responded promptly to the Macedonian call he received one night in the city of Troas. “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
What did they get for this prompt obedience to the call of God? They were severely flogged, thrown into a rat infested prison with their feet locked in stocks. And how did they respond to all this? Verse 25 says, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.”
That seems hard for us to believe, but that’s what it says. More on this in our next visit.
