I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to limit my intake of news. Mostly because it has overwhelmed me. It makes my heart heavy. It triggers my worries and fears. That’s why I’ve appreciated the efforts of many who have gone out of their way to highlight and share the good taking place. Whether it is stories of school teachers driving through their student’s neighborhoods or neighbors helping neighbors or the creative ways people are making the best of a difficult situation—all such stories remind me that there is good in the midst of the bad.
And don’t we need a bit of good news right now?
As I read or watch these stories, I’m reminded all the more how Christians have a greater reason to enjoy good news. Even more, we know the best news there is: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we know this good news, we always have reason to rejoice. We know a joy that brings light even in the darkest times.
Perhaps that’s why Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (16-18). Many times in my Christian life I’ve wondered how it was possible to rejoice always. Even when my heart is breaking? Even in the face of loss? Even when I’m fearful? What I’ve since learned is that Paul’s not calling us to be uber-optimists or to say that something is good that clearly is not. He’s not calling us to grin and bear it and deny the pain of the suffering we experience. The truth is, the bad things that happen in life are the result of the Fall and we should lament those things for this world is not as it should be. We ought to call evil what it is.
However, in the midst of our pains and sorrows, we have a joy that acts as a steady undercurrent; it keeps us moving us forward, despite the swells of a storm-filled life. We can rejoice always because of Christ. We can rejoice because we’ve been rescued from sin and saved for eternity. We can rejoice because we know God and are known by him. We can rejoice because we are beloved by the One who rules all things, sustains all things, and determines all things. As Calvin noted: “if we consider what Christ has conferred upon us, there will be no bitterness of grief so intense as may not be alleviated, and give way to spiritual joy.”
Paul links rejoicing and prayer and thanksgiving here because there’s an interesting relationship between the three. They work together, contributing to and reinforcing the other. When we are hurt and suffering, we cry out to God in prayer, placing our burdens before him. In doing so, we find peace and joy in the mist of that pain as the Spirit encourages our hearts and we are reminded of who God is and what he has done for us. In this, prayer and rejoicing go hand in hand. And so, Paul urges us to pray without ceasing, so that our joy would be full and we can rejoice always. Then in turn we respond in thanksgiving for the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to us. It’s really a condensed chain to what Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (vv.4-7).
Rather than fret and despair and be filled with chronic worry, we are to have “reasonableness,” a moderation of spirit. We are to bring all our concerns to the Lord in prayer, wrapped in thanksgiving. The Lord then gives us a peace that would make no sense to those outside of Christ, for it surpasses all human understanding. It’s a spiritual peace. A gospel-anchored peace. A peace rooted in our union with Christ our Savior.
I love what Spurgeon said about this relationship between rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving:
“The more praying the more rejoicing. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul, they flow away, and in their stead streams of sacred delight pour into the heart. At the same time the more rejoicing the more praying; when the heart is in a quiet condition, and full of joy in the Lord, then also will it be sure to draw nigh unto the Lord in worship. Holy joy and prayer act and react upon each other…When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have, and in the prospect of what is yet to come.”
So, if you are like me and are weary of all the bad news these days, remember the good news. The very best news. The news of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for sin. And rejoice in the Lord. Bring all your needs, concerns, sorrows, and cares to him in prayer. Then respond with thanksgiving for who he is, what he has done, and in what he will yet do.
