Songs of Thanksgiving

This post is part of the series, Songs of Thanksgiving. Find the whole series here.

For many people, November is a month when we intentionally reflect on all the things for which we’re thankful. Health, family, work, finances, possessions, relationships, friends . . .

As Christians, we know these are all undeserved earthly blessings—gifts from God for which we rejoice and give thanks, not just in November but every day! We also give thanks to God for the spiritual blessings he graciously gives.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

These verses are beautiful, gospel-filled reminders from the apostle Paul. They’re easy to say when our hearts are full of thanksgiving . . . but they can be difficult to put into practice and live out when our lives are filled with circumstances that threaten to keep us from rejoicing, steal our focus away from talking to God in prayer, and tempt us to grumble and complain.

Rejoice . . . always? Pray . . . continually? Give thanks . . . in all circumstances?

YES!

Dear Christian, these imperatives are exactly what our God wants for us all the time. He wants us to be able to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks to him in all circumstances of life, whether the physical blessings are abundant or scarce.

How does God expect us to do these things (rejoicing, praying, giving thanks) if our lives are—to put it bluntly—falling to pieces around us?

Doing these things is God’s will for us . . . in Christ Jesus. He’s the only way we’re able to do so. Because of Jesus, we always have a reason to rejoice—no matter what. All of our sins have been forgiven! We have a reason to pray continually because God promises that he continually hears and answers our prayers for Jesus’ sake! We have a reason to give thanks in all of our circumstances in life because in Jesus our eternal lives are secure. We’re loved and forgiven by God; heaven is our home.

As an aside, I love how Paul put his gospel encouragement to pray continually between rejoicing always and giving thanks in all circumstances. Struggling to rejoice? Pray. Rejoicing about something? Pray. Struggling to give thanks? Pray. Giving thanks? Pray!

Constant communication with our heavenly Father in prayer sets a beautiful pattern for our lives as Christians. Not only that, but when we also focus on the promises God makes us in his Word, we’re comforted with the reminder that we’re rooted in his constant care in all things. No matter what.

That knowledge—and keeping that wonderful knowledge in the forefront of our minds daily—is life-changing because we’re focusing on our Savior and the amazing, gracious things he has done for us. We can’t help but rejoice and burst into songs of thanksgiving!

Starting November 7, 2024, the new NPH blog series Songs of Thanksgiving takes a look at some of the incredible, undeserved blessings from God that we can rejoice in, pray continually about, and give thanks for in all circumstances.

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