Glad-hearted continually?

Watching Sunset, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. When is covered with water the Salar de Uyuni reflects sun light. Here as it looks like at sunset. Luca Galuzzi

Good evening, dear friends, Today has been a rough day, physically, for me. I woke up very early and began praying for all the prayer requests I could think of…I’m not sure why I didn’t think of this earlier! I do not ponder my own circumstances when I focus on the King and the concerns that have been shared with me. I am deeply honored to have someone divulge their requests. I then turn them over to my God of the Angel Armies. I have been so blessed by this song, I’m including it again. 🙂

Prayer is so powerful. We have such power to stand behind each word we utter in prayers to our loving God. Can you grasp it? You are stressed about your circumstances, your finances, your …. and someone shares their request with you and all of a sudden the focus is off yourself!! Hold onto the promises of God and pray them back to Him.

A storm at Pors-Loubous, Plogoff, Finistère, France by Henri Camus

“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 AMP

Friends, if you are praying on behalf of others and also for your own needs..what room can Satan have if you are in the throne room of God? If you are praying for the people in your life that drive crazy, steer yourself to the King. Lift up the election. Lift up the President. The leaders of our country. Your church. Your pastor, his wife..the persecuted church. In this season I am in, I finally understand this idea that Paul shares:

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be happy in your faith…happy? For some reason that word, happy, makes me wonder so I looked it up in the Strongs Concordance..check this out..

1) to rejoice, be glad

2) to rejoice exceedingly

3) to be well, thrive

To be well, to thrive in your faith..think of a seedling, planted well, watered accurately, sun pours down…that plant is going to thrive! So how can we be thriving in our faith? Paul gives us some ideas.

Tuft or pencil of light rays are a phenomenon of atmospheric optics, which is caused by the occlusion of the sun by atmospheric haze.by böhringer friedrich

Have a glad heart continually..to me, this is a huge challenge when I hit days that are hard right now. And this is where Paul says, be unceasing in prayer. Pray perseveringly..what word is that? adialeiptōs–without intermission, incessantly, without ceasing..To me, that means, to have joy is to be in constant communication with our Father who art in heaven. That brings joy.

Another that brings joy, in everything, give thanks! Give thanks for this head stuff? Yes. Give thanks for the challenges? Yes, because ultimately it will work out for God’s glory and our joy. Does it make sense logically? Maybe not. Yet we are told this is God’s will for our lives. And God’s will put His Son on the cross, why? For our deliverance, our salvation, our joy..did God like doing this? Of course not, He doesn’t like to see His children suffer, but we see only part of the tapestry. He sees the whole.

Give thanks, He has the whole world in His hands. Remember that kids’ song? He has it all.

Jesus revealed that will in His life here on earth. We can be glad…we can pray…we can give thanks..and somehow our world doesn’t look so bleak.

So, beloved, pray on. Pray on.