Choose to Rejoice

Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. May the God of peace himself make you entirely pure and devoted to God; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept strong and blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again. God, who called you to become his child, will do all this for you, just as he promised.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (TLB)

Akanksha Singh lives in Uttar Pradesh, India. When she moved to Lucknow, she was longing for a good job and had many interviews. When she couldn't find a job, she became so frustrated that she decided to give up and move back to her hometown. While she was packing her bags, she received a call from a renowned institution informing her of her selection for a position. Then Akanksha realized that many times in her life when everything seemed to be falling apart, she simply gave in to her adversities or refused to be led by God. But thankfully, God never left her alone.

Sometimes even when we are praying continuously, we still feel stuck in our problems. It is easy to assume God is not listening and to stop praying and reading our Bible. But that makes us more vulnerable to the chaos of life.

Instead of giving up, we can choose to rejoice, just like Habakkuk. God loves us too much to ever leave us alone. After all, God gave his Son for us. Jesus is the ultimate proof of God's love and faithfulness. God is with us as our trusted companion and will never walk away or let us down.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the assurance that you are always with us. Help us to open our hearts to your loving presence, in Jesus' name. Amen.