Rejoicing In All Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In his first epistle to the Thessalonians Paul makes what seems to be at best a very unrealistic request, to rejoice always and be thankful in ALL circumstances. Really Paul? In all circumstances? How can he say this? What about painful circumstances, trials, suffering, affliction? Are we to rejoice and be thankful in those circumstances as well? Yes! But how can this be, how can Paul say this and how can we live this way? I think the previous paragraph is enlightening, Paul writes:

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Here is a cause for great rejoicing regardless of circumstance. Those who have trusted in Christ have obtained salvation. We are no longer destined for the wrath we so deserved for the wicked, selfish, and sinful lives we have lived. No, we who have trusted in Christ have a far more glorious destiny ahead of us, life eternal in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Christ. I will admit I think about heaven far less than I should, but meditating on the glory that awaits can give us joy and hope for today regardless of how difficult our circumstances may be. Elsewhere Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

What an amazing statement. Here Paul goes so far as to call our afflictions light and momentary. How heavy, how massive, how overwhelming must the glory that awaits us to call all the pain, affliction, and suffering we go through in this life "light and momentary"!

Finally there is one last verse that has proven great comfort to me through many of the trials and tough times I have gone through in the past few years and it is the perhaps one of the most beloved verses in the Bible:

Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Here is yet another reason we can actually rejoice in difficult circumstances. Though it may not feel that way, and though the pain, the frustration, the difficulty may be very real, for those who love God there is the great comfort that this present circumstance is not without cause and will actually be for our good. God is not primarily concerned with our temporal happiness, He is more concerned with our holiness and our growing to be like His Son Jesus. It is often through the most difficult of circumstances that we learn and grow those deep roots of faith in God that our savior displayed all of His life.

So let us along with Paul rejoice in all circumstances, giving thanks and praise and prayers to the God who is for us, who has saved us, and who is working all things together for our good.