I Thessalonians 5:17-18 Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Pray and Give Thanks
I Thessalonian 5:17-18 says, “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” It is interesting that these two verses are found together in the Bible because, in fact, these truths are found together throughout life. An attitude of constant prayer and an attitude of continual thanksgiving go together both in the Bible and in life.
“Pray without ceasing.” What does that mean? Well, we are talking about more than just beginning to pray and keeping at it. We are talking about unending prayer, an attitude of prayer throughout my day and life. This is not merely a particular request, although it obviously involves that.
Verse 18 says, “In every thing give thanks.” It has often been pointed out that we are to give thanks in everything, which is not the same as giving thanks for everything. The other week after I returned home from meetings, I noticed that the bottom panel under my trailer had come loose. You could actually look up into the innards of my trailer. My first thought was, “Oh, no. This trailer isn’t that old, and now it is falling apart.” But then I thought about the road I had been on for the previous five hours. It had been narrow in many places, desolate in some places, and very busy in other places. How terrible it would have been if I had broken down somewhere out there. I was sorry that the trailer had broken, but grateful that it had not broken earlier in the day when it could have caused me great problems. That is recognizing the reason to be thankful in something not necessarily for something.
By the way, it is the will of God for us to “pray without ceasing” and “in every thing give thanks.” How can I be thankful in everything if I’m not praying for anything? How can I say I’m actually praying if I’m not grateful? Prayer before a need and thanksgiving after a need are both acts of dependence. One is dependence that God will do something and the other is dependence that God has done something.
If I am really depending upon God, in a continual state of depending upon Him, my life will be a life of gratitude. If I am giving thanks in everything, I need someone to thank, and I need something for which to be thankful. The Person to thank is God, and the thing for which I am thankful is usually an answer to prayer. In the Bible and in life an attitude of constant prayer and an attitude of continual thanksgiving go hand in hand.