Gratitude

Nadine Moreno
Nov 4, 2020
4 min read

Promise

Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP

Purpose

There are a fair amount of bible verses that some of us struggle with for different reasons. This verse is one that I love but am not always great at following.

Much like James 1:2-4, where it instructs us to consider it pure joy to face trials, this verse tells us to rejoice and delight in our faith always, to be thankful in every situation. Those are not easy instructions to follow.

We have all faced situations in life that have brought us to our knees, whether spiritually or physically. Circumstances that have taken our breath away, maybe even caused distrust or unbelief in our faith.

Rejoicing in those moments, delighting in our faith, considering them joy, being thankful, and continuing to give thanks to God during it all seems like the exact opposite of what we want to do.

But this same verse gives us the formula of how we are to do precisely that.

Be unceasing and persistent in prayer.
Know that this is the will of God.
And in James 1:3 - know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

We must focus on prayer, unceasingly and persistently petitioning God, believing for a resolution. As believers, we know that God has three responses.

Yes, No, and not yet.

We also know that no matter what our prayer is, it needs to align with His will. Praying with the knowledge of those two facts will ensure that He is hearing us. Through that time with Him, through those conversations, He will strengthen us, we will learn, and our faith will persevere.

Plan

Have you ever felt a nudging to pray about a circumstance or situation even before it happens? Before there is something specific to pray for?

Two weeks ago, I experienced just that. More than a nudge, it was days of urgency to pray for a hockey game my son had coming up. Three days prior, as I prayed before dinner, my son said: "Are you going to pray for my game?" I don't pray for hockey games before a meal, so it was an unprecedented question.

Yet, I did it. I prayed before that meal. I prayed as I drove the next day. I prayed the day after that on the way to the game. I prayed again when we arrived at the rink. Every time, a nudge. Every time, a prayer. Silent prayers for my son's safety.

I want to tell you the whole story - every minute of that day. Except it's too long, too detailed, to give it all that it deserves here in a devotional.

I do need to tell you this: my son was injured in that game. Knocked from behind by a boy much larger than him. Slamming his head first against the glass and then again as he fell unconscious to the ice. For the longest 30 seconds of my life, he did not move.

We were taken by ambulance to the trauma unit at the local children's hospital with concerns of a broken neck or back.

The second they called 911, I sent off text messages requesting prayer. Those people sent out more text messages. I was joined by hockey moms, who were not at the rink for our game, who came beside me and prayed. Before the end of the night, we received text messages and phone calls from people in other states saying that they were standing with us. God was with us.

My heart was in pieces as I sat with my son, him in pain, my husband in the parking lot. All of us feeling scared, alone, and unsure.

I take no joy admitting that in my darkest moments in that hospital room, while brief, I bitterly cried out, "But I prayed against this! I asked you!"

I do rejoice in telling you what I heard back: "And that is why he is okay. That is why you are here."

What I want you to hear: I prayed unceasing and persistent prayers both before the incident and after. I knew that while my son's injuries may not have been God's will, the results would be. Even while we feared the results, we understood that this would produce perseverance.

Four excruciating hours later, we got the news we were praying for: his injuries were minor. Whiplash. Sprained muscles. A concussion. He did not have any broken bones.

I want to tell you that my failings ended in that hospital room. I want to tell you that I didn't let anger toward the boy who hit my son blur my vision. I want to tell you that I was okay once I heard the results of his imaging. But that wouldn't be the truth. The enemy attempted to use fear, frustration, and anger to drown out my praise of the goodness of God. And I almost let him, but my closest friends reminded me that that is how we let the enemy win. So instead, today, I want to rejoice.

The only plan I have for us is the one I mentioned above, the same plan that the verses instruct us to follow.