Always...In All Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (ESV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

I like to look at this verse, in reverse.  What is God's will for me?  I ask that question a lot.  Well, in all circumstances, wherever I am at, and whatever I am doing...I can give thanks.  That almost sounds impossible, right?  So when I am in pain, when my child is sick, fill in the blank (the possibilities are endless)...am I suppose to say, "Thank You God, that my child is sick."  Be fake?  Pretend?  I don't think so.

First of all, we can thank God for who He is.  That He knows what is happening.  That He is in control.  Knowing that He is in control, doesn't help unless you trust Him though.  Sometimes I think, "But You do let children die, and You allow bad things to happen." I'll save that for another time actually!

Okay, so back to the sick child scenario.  Sometimes when I hold one of my sick children, and I am exhausted and possibly scared, I thank God that my child has me to comfort them, to pray for them, to care for them.  I think of children who have been orphaned, who do not have the attention and care and love that I am able to give to my children.  And then I pray for those children.   I thank Him that someday there will be no more sickness.

So the thanksgiving leads me to pray!  I pray that God will continually open my eyes more and more to the beauty and blessings that surround me because of His love.  The more I see, the more I am in the constant state of prayer...thanking Him and interceding for others.  I am praying without ceasing.

All of that leads to rejoicing!  We don't need to give thanks FOR the circumstance, but give thanks IN the circumstance!  That I can do with a genuine heart...in truth.  And all of it is "in Christ Jesus".  Because of Him.

FEAR

Fear is one of my worst enemies.  I hate how it just creeps in out of nowhere!  For the last couple of days, I have been randomly annoyed by fear.  Sounds funny to say it that way, but that is how I feel.  I really shouldn't shrug it off because sometimes those "random annoyances" plant seeds.  If I don't throw them out immediately, they might start growing roots, and then sprout forth in my actions!

I do not want to be motivated by fear!  I find that fear keeps me distracted mentally, steals my joy, and paralyzes me.  All terrible!  I want none of it.

I love this.  1 Peter 3:6 "...do not fear anything that is frightening."

Psalm 112:7 "He (the righteous) is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD."

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

It's not like we need to lie to ourselves and live in denial about the fact that bad things are guaranteed to happen.  We need to TRUST!  Trust that He will never leave us.  Trust that He will sustain us.  I almost feel ridiculous that I should struggle with trusting Him, but at times I battle.

I like these quotes from Oswald Chambers:

"How much of our security and peace is the outcome of the civilized life we live, and how much of it is built up in faith in God?"
"Unbelief is the most active thing on earth; it is a fretful, worrying, questioning, annoying, self-centered spirit.  To believe is to stop all this and let God work."
"All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God."  

(Bible quotes ESV;Oswald Chambers quotes from In the Presence of His Majesty)

Everything is His

I was talking to my sister on the phone today.  During our conversation I overheard her say to one of her children, "That is your dad's."  She spoke in a very firm voice...nice, but firm.  In essence what she was saying was, "Do you realize who that belongs to?  You can't just do whatever you want with that.  Be careful!"

I am not sure what they were getting into, and I didn't even ask.  But in that tiny moment, I felt like God was reminding me...it all belongs to Him!  My children.  My money.  My life.  My time.  I can't just do whatever I want with these.  I must be careful.  I must have respect.  Everything is His...my Father's!

How might you treat your child (especially in one of those difficult moments that we all have as parents) if you thought of them as God's child?  How would you treat your spouse?  And money...I need to grow in maturity there too! 

1 Chronicles 29:11 "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours.  Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all." (ESV)