Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 HCSB
Living the way God wants us to live is not always easy. Our Scripture passage is a perfect example. When we find ourselves in situations where our heart seems to be breaking, it’s not easy to rejoice. We may pray in our sorrow but being thankful is sometimes difficult when we find ourselves in troubling times.
We will find ourselves in situations where our heart is breaking. It’s just a part of this earthly life. In John 16:33 Jesus told His disciples, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” There are no scripture passages that tell us we will not suffer while we are here.
But we must remember this is a temporary place. We must stay focused on our eternal destination. We must stay focused on our Lord and Savior. We must trust in Him to walk with us through times of suffering when we experience heartache and pain.
Many non-Christians like to argue that a loving merciful God would never allow us to go through pain. But the Bible gives a reason for the suffering we endure. In James 1:2-4 we are told we should be joyful when we experience trials knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. We are told endurance must do its complete work, so that we may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. In Romans 5:3 Paul tells us to rejoice in our afflictions because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. We cannot grow in our Christianity if we don’t go through hard times. We are also told that we go through hard times so we may be a support for others. 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God comforts us in all our affliction, so we may be able to comfort others who experience trials.
Our Scripture passage today doesn’t tell us we should not mourn when we experience loss and hard times. The Bible speaks in many passages about mourning. But over and over it tells us we should turn to God in times of trouble and trust Him to walk us through it. Psalms has some beautiful verses about God’s comfort. David wrote many Psalms about God bringing him through troubled times. One of my favorites is Psalm 34:18 which says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
If you have found yourself in troubled times, know that God’s got you. Psalm 147:3 tells us He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Trust in Him to take good care of you. Rejoice in the fact that He loves you and will never leave nor forsake you. Remain in constant prayer. Be thankful to Him for His presence in your life.
In due time, you’ll see that you will grow in Him and be strengthened by Him.
Have a great day!