Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)

Key points

• We can exercise God’s will every day… and in all circumstances, and everyone can do it, anytime!
• If we ever feel off track, let’s find peace in knowing that God’s will isn’t complicated.
• Listen to the Gratitude series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

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At some stage during our life, we may ask the question, what is God’s will for me?

During my younger years, this was a constant and popular question. The situation was usually around what I should be doing with the rest of my life, or what career path I should take.

These seemed to be the bigger questions in life for me because in my mind God’s will felt like this life-changing path that I needed to figure out and embrace. But this verse reminds us that we can exercise God’s will every day… and in all circumstances, and everyone can do it, anytime!

We are not too old or too young, we do not have to be equipped or talented, we all can be grateful; no prerequisites needed. This is great news because it means we all can be in God’s will.

If we ever feel off track, let’s find peace in knowing that God’s will isn’t complicated.

But sometimes I just don’t feel like being grateful (and the longer I live in this broken world, the harder it feels like to be grateful), but like a muscle, gratitude needs to be developed to grow.

If we ever feel off track, or uncertain about our next decision, let’s find peace in knowing that God’s will isn’t complicated. Let’s begin with our attitude of gratitude.

Who knows – when we’re in a state of thankfulness long enough, we may end up unlocking answers to our next step.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

Gratitude is a six-week series inviting listeners to create a habit of gratitude in their lives. Subscribe to the YouVersion plan.

Subscribe to listen to this series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro

Episode supplied with thanks to Linda Lou.

Originally published as ‘God’s Will in Gratitude’ in Real Hope, Jan-Feb 2024.