In All Circumstances

• How do you know God is always with you?

• Why is God’s work hard to recognize when things get bad?

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Give thanks in all circumstances”? Is that even possible, or was the apostle Paul trying to make some ironic point to the Thessalonians? People can’t really give thanks when they’ve just lost their jobs, can they? Or when they’ve just been told they have cancer? Or when they are being bullied at school? There is nothing to be thankful for in any of those circumstances, is there?

It turns out the apostle Paul wasn’t joking. There are thing to be thankful for in all circumstances. We just need to know where to look. If we have trouble seeing beyond the bad in our lives, we can ask God to open our eyes to the things he’s doing that we can’t see. He’ll help us see concerned friends, committed doctors, caring teachers and other resources we may not have noticed.

Even if we can’t see what God is doing in our lives now, we can thank him for the things he’s done in the past. There’s no expiration date on God’s blessings. We can still mention them in prayer, no matter how long ago we received them.

If we as a family learn to praise God in all circumstances, we will grow closer to him.

PRAYER
Dear God, train our eyes to see your work in our lives. Keep our eyes open to the amazing things you do — even in the worst of times. We praise you for your wondrous love. Amen.