Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess. 5:16-18
Lord Jesus, how I praise you that we don’t have to fake our spirituality, stuff our feelings, or spin anything. The gospel puts an end to many things, including denial and minimizing. That’s why the call to perpetual joy, prayer and thankfulness doesn’t mock our sensibilities and stoke our cynicism.
In fact these very words—this trio of commands, were written by a man who had every right in the world to question your goodness, doubt your promises and struggle with your providences (2 Corinthians 11:16-33). So who’s better positioned, who can be more trusted than Paul to deliver this message?
Jesus, we pray for ourselves, friends and family members for whom life is somewhere on the continuum of difficult to despairing. We pray for the chronic sufferers we know and love—those whose days begin and end with an unremitting combination of physical, emotional and mental pain. Their cry, “How long, O Lord?”, is not a sign of immaturity, but honesty, confusion and deep longing. Keep them from developing addictive dependencies on things that offer the hope of relief.
May your joy be their strength, for they have very little. May your prayer life be their hope, for theirs is nearly non-existent. May your thankfulness before the Father be mediated to their hearts—when it would be easier to curse than to praise, disbelieve than to trust, run away rather than run to you. Love them through us. Free us from the need to fix anything. Give us grace to stay present and caring.
Jesus, we also pray for those whose greatest pain is relational—arguably the greatest ache we experience in this world. We bring you marriages and families which are in breakdown and meltdown; friendships broken by sin, strained by disagreement, weakened by neglect; church families, where biting and devouring one another is currently more obvious than worshiping and adoring you. Bring great glory to yourself as you bring great grace to us.
O for the Day when you return to finish making all things new—when decay and death in every form, will be completely eradicated. Lord Jesus, come now, come today with kingdom power and gospel kindness. So very Amen we pray, in your merciful and mighty name.