Dear Church Family,
We do not know how God will be glorified during this time of crisis. We have assurance that He will be honored and that He is working for the good of His people. In this time of waiting for that to be unveiled, what is God’s will for you during the virus crisis? Let me share three things that clearly are God’s will for you. I can write that during this crisis and I could preach it with confidence at any time since I was ordained as a pastor.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 lays out these three things: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” These twenty words get right to the point, so I will be brief.
First, Paul lived a life full of suffering. Therefore, he cannot be accused of failing to understand what it means to live in a fallen world. He knew that life could be difficult. This letter came early in his ministry. A few years later he would write in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice!” Paul knew he could rejoice (and encourage others to do so) because he knew the unchanging character of God and knew who he was in Jesus Christ. Paul wrote Philippians from prison. He was not self-quarantined – he was under arrest, yet joyful.
Second, God’s people are called to pray without ceasing. As we do this we practice the constant presence of God in our lives. It reminds us of our total dependence on him As Question 11 of the Heidelberg Catechism states that we need to pray “Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking Him for them.”
Third, God commands (not suggests) us to be thankful for whatever comes our way. Paul’s letters overflow with words of thanks to God for who He is and what He has done. Paul is ever grateful for the salvation that came to him on the road to Damascus. I grant that it is hard to thank God for the virus. Now that one of our members is sick with Covid-19, being thankful becomes a little harder, yet we can remain confident that God will bring glory to Himself through it and use it for good in our member’s life. As we give thanks, God molds our hearts to allow us to see a little more clearly who He is and how He is working in and through us.
By His grace may we be joyful, pray continually and ever give God the thanks He deserves.
With great hope,
Pastor Gillikin