In All Circumstances - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 English Standard Version

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I feel as though this verse is extremely important today. There are so many people angry and hurt in our country right now. This election has brought out the best and worst of people, but now that the race is over we need to stop and prayer for our future leader and for this nation as a whole.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians he teaches us to rejoice always. In all circumstances, including this election, we have reasons to rejoice. The people who ‘won’ can rejoice because they got what they wanted. The people who ‘lost’ may not rejoice over that, but as a nation, together we can rejoice in our continuation as one. We can (and we need to) rejoice together because we are a nation that stands together. At the end of the day we are all still Americans and we can all still make a difference. We must rejoice in our freedom to choose, and now rejoice that we came together to choose one person.

Now that we have chosen our future president, we must pray for him. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing, and by continuously praying we can hope that our future president will follow God’s path for him. Last night, on my three hour drive home from voting, I prayed continuously that God’s will would rule this election and that the chosen person would make the right decision. Today, I continue to pray that God’s will is clear in Donald Trump’s mind.

We must give thanks for what we have all been able to do. As an American citizen, it is our duty and our right to vote. Yesterday was not only important for two candidates, but important for hundreds of other people running for other federal and state positions. We must thank God for giving us this opportunity to vote for what we believe in! Last night I got the chance to save the education system in my local county from someone who has been bullying the system for years. Being able to vote in this nation is a blessing. Even if we do not ‘win’ we should practice our rights because it is our voice that is finally speaking and making a choice.

I pray that these next four years our prospering for all American citizens. No matter what, we must rely on God and his guidance for our whole government, not just the president!

Thought Questions:

How can you pray for God’s will to guide our president elect?

How can you increase your civic duties and participate in the government as a citizen?

How can we, as a nation, come together as one group? How can we pray for people who are against the government and the decisions of the American people?