Say it Out Loud
God calls us to live lives in eager trust and anticipation that He is always at work, we just can’t always see it.
By: Mary Capalbo
Have you ever felt the Lord so clearly call you into something only to find yourself facing doubt and fear over that decision just months later? The initial adrenalin has worn off and the potential pitfalls or hardships that you were cautioned about prior to making this decision seem to be turning into a reality. Did you mishear the Lord? Did you take a wrong turn? Or have you found yourself once again plagued by the pain of crushing disappointment or shattered dreams?
Before we allow ourselves to sink into the quicksand of worry and despair, let’s cling to some truth that we see throughout scripture.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul shares the following with the church,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
And then again in Romans 12:12 he encourages believers to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Did you catch the repetition in those verses? Rejoice, be patient, give thanks in all circumstances and pray.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Paul starts both of these verses with the word rejoice. And when he says rejoice, I don’t believe he means to do so quietly. I recently learned that when we feel overwhelmed and are consumed by the feelings portion of our brain (the limbic system), we can respond by speaking truth out loud. What follows is that the thinking part of our brain (the cerebrum) will take over, and will give us freedom and clarity to focus on the words coming out of our mouths and the truths that they encompass.
This is why meditating on God’s Word is so vital. Speaking scripture or attributes of God out loud will lead us to a place of rejoicing. It will help us to focus and remember Who it is that we worship, why He deserves all our praise, and that He can be trusted with all the details of our life.
The word patient comes forward next. When we look back on our lives and see how the Lord has worked in the past, we can all agree that while He was never late, according to our understanding, He was likely never early either. God calls us to live lives in eager trust and anticipation that He is always at work, we just can’t always see it.
In the midst of the rejoicing and the days of patient waiting, Paul calls us to give thanks in all circumstances, including seasons of tribulation. We are all coming out of, in the midst of, or about to enter into seasons of tribulation or hardship. It’s a part of our lives while here on earth, but rather than avoiding, ignoring or languishing in those seasons, what would it look like if we gave thanks? What would our relationships look like if we allowed others into our affliction and also into the daily practice of giving thanks and trusting that our God is mighty to save, and worthy of our praise?
Paul closes these verses by calling the church to pray. And I love how he ends it in the 1 Thessalonians passage, “...for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Prayer: walking in close communion with God, is His will for our lives. We won’t always know for certain which path to take or where the road will lead, but we have the privilege and the honor of being able to talk with the Creator of the Universe and entrust all of our hopes and fears into His hands. These are the hands that formed the world, the hands that took a rib from Adam and formed Eve, and the hands that sent His only Son to the earth to redeem His beloved creation.
Remember that song, “He’s got the whole world in His hands”? He still has the whole world in His hands. No matter where you find yourself today, remember that God is holding you. He has a plan and He loves you. All he asks of us is to rejoice (out loud!), to be patient, to give thanks and to pray. So let’s keep taking it one day at a time and trust if we are seeking the Lord but aren’t feeling comfortable, we’re probably right where He wants us, finding our security in Him alone.