Be Joyful Always?

This has been an eventful summer in Seeley Lake. We have faced a threatening fire for multiple weeks while under an evacuation warning for most of the time, only to have an evacuation become a reality for many. On top of this our community endured a long period of unrelenting smoke.

From our situation in Montana we have also watched increasing wildfires spread through the Northwest stretching firefighting resources to the limit. There were also devastating hurricanes affecting the lives of so many people.

This summer has been filled with troubling circumstances. When I look to the Bible for direction about how to respond to difficult circumstances I come face to face with the convicting words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Be joyful always, give thanks in all circumstances?? It sure was hard to find joy in the middle of the thick, intrusive smoke. But this is the reminder that we desperately need.

Does the Apostle Paul have the credibility to give these words to those who struggle in difficult circumstances? This challenge was written to Christians living within painful circumstances. The first century church lived in a troubling time of government corruption and oppression from the Roman government. The Apostle Paul faced physical beatings and long periods of time in prison. Find joy always and give thanks in all circumstances? Paul sure did.

The Bible requires that we allow God to define terms. For many, joy goes up and down according to the comfort level of the circumstances around us. But this is not the case with genuine joy that is promised in God’s Word. There is credibility in Paul’s words because this is speaking of true joy that only comes from the Lord.

This difficult season is a reminder to give thanks in all circumstances and to enjoy lasting joy that cannot be moved by painful situations. Paul’s words point us to the guaranteed source of joy, a relationship with Jesus Christ. What Jesus accomplished on the cross to save us is what brings us hope and joy, especially in the middle pain and sorrow of life. This is a promise of hope and certainty that can never be taken away.