1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
17. pray continually, 18. give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus.
This verse is the focus of the Awana lesson I'm giving this week. It's amazing how God can speak to you through a child's lesson!
"Pray Continually", as in don't stop. When I read this verse I remember being younger, still living with my parents, and my mom begging me to just talk to her. As I enter into being a parent of a teenagers I'm sure I'll be saying those same words to my children someday soon. Like parents try to keep the lines of communication open with their children, our Heavenly Father wants to keep the lines of communication open with us. He wants us to pray non-stop, about EVERYTHING. He wants us to ask him for things, he's our Daddy.
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Too often we mistake God for a genie who grants us wishes. And while His word says that He will grant us the desires of our heart, our hearts must be in the right place, in line with His will. We go to Him with all sorts of requests and desires and rejoice when we're giving what we ask for, but when we get a no, the rejoicing isn't always there. We sometimes go crazy wondering "why did God stop listening to me?" We answer this this question with: "I must not have been good enough" or "I just didn't have enough faith." and even sometimes, "He must not care enough".
Just like most earthly daddies, our Heavenly Daddy wants what's best for us! He's not going to give us something that will hurt us or cause us to stumble. Unlike us, God always sees the BIG picture and knows what's coming. How awesome is that? When He says no, although we may be disappointed, that's reason enough to rejoice! Because no matter how much we want what we ask for, what He has planned will be soooo much better.
Sometimes His answer isn't a "No" but a "Not Now" We may not be ready for what we're asking for. He has other things in mind for us before we're ready for what we want. How much sweeter is that "Yes", after waiting and accepting His will?
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for wanting us to talk to You. Thank You for wanting us to ask You for our desires, and thank You for loving us so much to say no when our desires are not right, or in line with Your will for us. Please help us to remember that Your will is always best, even when we can't make sense of it right away. In Your Sons Name we pray. Amen.
Just like most earthly daddies, our Heavenly Daddy wants what's best for us! He's not going to give us something that will hurt us or cause us to stumble. Unlike us, God always sees the BIG picture and knows what's coming. How awesome is that? When He says no, although we may be disappointed, that's reason enough to rejoice! Because no matter how much we want what we ask for, what He has planned will be soooo much better.
Sometimes His answer isn't a "No" but a "Not Now" We may not be ready for what we're asking for. He has other things in mind for us before we're ready for what we want. How much sweeter is that "Yes", after waiting and accepting His will?
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for wanting us to talk to You. Thank You for wanting us to ask You for our desires, and thank You for loving us so much to say no when our desires are not right, or in line with Your will for us. Please help us to remember that Your will is always best, even when we can't make sense of it right away. In Your Sons Name we pray. Amen.
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