Give Thanks in Every Circumstance

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It comes near the end of Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica.

Father, I want to rejoice at all times, but some days I do not feel like it. Teach me to pray without ceasing, turning to You all through the day. And in every circumstance, the good and the hard, help me find a reason to thank You. Thank You for this day, for the people You have given me, and for Jesus. This is Your will for me, and I say yes. Amen.

The Scripture

“Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer points from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice in God for who He is, whatever today holds.
Name three things you can thank Him for right now.
Thank Him in the middle of the hard thing, not only after it.
Ask Him to help you turn to Him in prayer all through the day.
Thank Him for Jesus, in whom this is His will for you.
Thank Him by name for the people He has put in your life.

About this verse

First Thessalonians is a letter from Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to a young church in Thessalonica. These believers had welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit in spite of great suffering, and Paul writes of his own distress and persecution while he was away from them. Near the end of the letter he gives a string of short instructions for life together: live in peace, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Then come three lines that can shape a whole day: rejoice at all times, pray without ceasing, give thanks in every circumstance. The verse says in every circumstance. We do not have to pretend a hard thing is good in order to find something to thank God for in the middle of it. Paul calls this God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. It is a prayer for anyone who wants a thankful heart, on an ordinary day or a hard one.

When to pray this prayer

When you wake up, before your feet hit the floor
Before a meal, alone or with family
When a day goes wrong and you want to turn it toward God
At Thanksgiving, or any time you count your blessings
At bedtime, looking back over the day

More prayers for thanksgiving

Did this help you pray today?

Stay a little longer with Scripture

Watch the Bible word for word, or rest with a painting of Jesus, piece by piece.

Bible MoviesWhole Bible chapters as films, word for word→

Bible JigsawPaintings of Jesus to piece together, each with a verse→

No app? Watch a chapter here · Play a jigsaw here

More prayers for Thanksgiving → The whole prayer library

✶ · Our Bible Moments