Hosanna Restoration Church

We have all had times that were not great. We have all had times where we are certain that no one understands how we feel. Sometimes people will take the, in could be worse, route or there are people who are worse off than they are, but that really does not end it for them. It can give some relief, but seldom release from the issue.
Scripture is full of impossible assignments it would seem. Like how can we always be joyful? What good does it do to rejoice in the Lord always, when it does not change things at all? Well, for one thing, we trust that it does change things. We trust because we believe God more that we believe even our own thinking. Does that make it easy? No. But it does give us a reason to press on and see what the Lord can do. The more we practice what He says, the more we know that He will do more than we can hope or imagine.
Joy is a back breaker to the burdens that come upon us. In other words, we break it. It does not break us.
It may be that God gave the instant answer to how we can be joyful. Never stop praying. Answer every circumstance with a prayer, even if it is simply thank you Lord. That acknowledges to God and to yourself that you know He knows what is going on.
We can be thankful in all circumstances. Joy and prayer help us get there. Or is it being thankful that gives us Joy and leads us to prayer. Or is it the prayer that gets us rejoicing and being thankful. It looks to be like God gave us three simple things that work as a team. No wonder it is God’s will for our lives in Christ Jesus.
Recently some folks who are having some hard times expressed their appreciation for all the years that they did not have hard times. It helped them laugh in the face of the hard times. What if we made as much effort to be thankful as we often do to worry or be angry or fearful?
If you are feeling under siege, give a try at just being thankful. We all have things we can be thankful for even it seems distant at this point. Start at that point and work your way up until you can see that even in the middle of the trouble you have things you can be thankful for.
Truly, when we turn our eyes on Jesus we can be thankful and when are thankful, we move to a happier spot. We begin to experience that peace of God that passes understanding. If you need help, hope, joy, or peace; just be thankful to God for His love for you. Start there and you will finish strong.