Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
For those of us who were struggling to figure out God's will for us we our struggle can end here. Paul tells us the answer and a surprisingly straightforward fashion.
God asks us to seek his will and to do it. But it is not meant to be an elaborate puzzle. Whenever we are told what it actually entails there is always an elegant simplicity that almost seems like too little to go on.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (see Micah 6:8).
God assures us that it is in fact supposed to be simple and straightforward.
“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it (see Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
God's answer is simple. But we tend to make things complicated. He tells us to pray, rejoice, and give thanks. Instead, we prefer to sorrow, look at circumstances, and complain. His Spirit is already within us with the gift of joy. All we need to do is not quench it, yet complaining will quickly do so. His voice speaks to us. All we need to do is not despise it, yet we consider it naive or impractical.
This triad of joy, prayer, and thanksgiving is a theme that occurs more than once in Paul. He does not mention them coincidentally, but rather because each of them is mutually necessary for the others. If we want joy, prayer and thanksgiving are necessary. Thanksgiving will quickly be emptied of content without joy and prayer. Our prayer will become dry and routine unless it is filled with thanksgiving and joy. We owe God more than grudging or routine thanksgiving and prayer. He wants to see his creatures filled with his joy.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:4-7).
None of these gifts can be attained on our own. We must let the Spirit within us be the source of joy, of prayer, and of thanksgiving. But we can be confident that he will, because he "is faithful, and he will also accomplish it."
John the Baptist was a surprisingly joyful man, considering where he lived, how he ate, that even his ministry was designed to be supplanted and replaced by the Lamb of God whom he welcomed. Yet it was precisely in this, in fidelity to what he knew to be God's call, while ignoring the complexities of it that he did not yet understand, that he found joy.
The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (see John 3:29-30).
John was faithful to the simple word that defined his mission. He was "the voice of one crying out" even when it didn't make sense. In prison John certainly would have been tempted to doubt that the Messianic Kingdom was imminent. At such a time he could have chosen to complain and to quench the Spirit. But instead he acted prayerfully, asking the answer from Jesus. He could have given in to his own despair, placed his own lingering doubts ahead of what he knew to be God's word. But he remained open. He did not quench the Spirit. Because of this, the message from Jesus gave him the opportunity to receive joy even amidst his sufferings.
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (see Matthew 11:2-6).
The One on whom the Spirit of the Lord rests upon has come. The wedding of the bride and the bridegroom is already beginning. Let us make use of the gifts of prayer, joy, and thanksgiving, given to us by the Spirit for purpose of being able to join and enter fully into this celebration. We must not attempt to clothe ourselves for this celebration. The Lord knows better than we in what attire we what will look the best.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
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