Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

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The Apostle Paul once wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Very rarely in scripture does Paul, or anyone else for that matter, say this clearly: “This is God’s will for you…” But here it is. And it’s very simple – very spelled out. But by no means easy.

To rejoice is to take delight in, find pleasure in, revel in – relish, savor. In fact, Paul wrote this letter in Greek – and the word he used is the word for rejoice – is the word chara. Have joy. Well, chara comes from the root word Charis – which means gift.

If joy comes from charis – gift, then to rejoice is to be aware of gift: gift of life, gift of breath, gift of forgiveness, gift of reconciliation, gift of being able to get up in the morning; gift of the summer sunshine on my back. Gift.

To rejoice is to be aware that all of life is a gift. This moment is a gift. These people are a gift. The ability to communicate is a gift. My family, these friends – all gifts.

Now if we look at this a little closer we see that rejoice, pray, give thanks are integrally linked as rejoicing and giving thanks are prayers in and of themselves. It is really an outlook on life that Paul’s talking about… And it is an outlook that implies the need to stop and notice – to look around…

When I was writing this, I had to pause for just a moment – and take this advice myself. I was outside on my back porch and I noticed the birds singing, the cicada chirping, the morning sunlight streaming through the trees. By stopping and noticing… and delighting in it – I felt an almost immediate upwelling of joy.

I leave you with the same challenge I offered earlier this month. As you go throughout each day this week, I invite you to intentionally pause momentarily from time to time – find something to appreciate. Allow a full 15 seconds for it to fully sink in. Delight in. Let it soak in, and give thanks.

Let us pray: Continue to open our eyes, O God, to the many gifts that surround us on every side. As we notice open too our hearts, that we would find ways to respond. In Christ’s name. Amen.