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.” ESV.
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong in Christ Jesus.” NLT
Do you ever wonder what God’s will is for you? These verses put it very simply, as Paul wrote them to strengthen the Thessalonian Christians in their faith and assure them of Christ’s return. We need to express gratitude and thank God for His faithfulness and goodness in our lives in ALL things, and then to “never stop praying.” So how can we be more prayerful? “There is a simple yet effective way for the soldier of Christ to neutralize the prince’s air defense and attack system: When you get a negative thought, pray a positive prayer. It sounds simplistic, but it works. It will neutralize the enemy . . . The enemy will continually put things before our minds to try to cause us to stumble. If you pray every time this happens, you will turn a negative into a positive.” Quote from Idiotic Things People Did In The Bible, Ray Comfort, page 51.
Despite any Sauls or Goliaths we may have going on in our lives, we can combat our fears and bitterness by living out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, because we can have joy because of God’s sovereignty. Nothing occurs outside His knowledge and permission, as Psalm 103:19 declares, “The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.” God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence should reassure us that He knows all things and is right there with us. Psalm 139: 2b & 4 states, “You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.” Yes, God knows our hearts, and that is always the issue. There are things we get “concerned” about that are beyond our control and therefore God’s responsibility, so we can pray and trust Him for the salvation of friends and family, health/illness, feelings of others, friendships, our future, to name a few. When we attempt to control what is God’s responsibility, it results in anxiety, frustration, and disappointment. Our responsibility is to honor God, be obedient to God’s Word, meditate and study the Bible, pray, be involved in a Bible-preaching church, not be lazy, have time with friends, have proper effort at work and home and live out Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
If a particular fear keeps popping up in your mind, pray a positive prayer each time it occurs. That is how to keep praying continually. Trust is the opposite of fear, as Jesus taught and said in Matthew 8:26, “Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith! Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.”
Praying a positive prayer when I get a negative thought has been transforming for me this past week. Try it – suddenly God will give you a great calmness, just as He did with the wind and waves to the disciples in that boat when that storm struck. Give thanks to Him and don’t stop praying. Pray a positive prayer.
Listen to Matthew West, Don’t Stop Praying (Music Video)