1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let’s talk about four simple words from the scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 that carry a lot of weight: Always. Never. In all.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.

That’s what Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica — and if we’re being honest, that’s not always easy to live out. Joy doesn’t always come naturally. Gratitude doesn’t always feel possible. Prayer doesn’t always feel powerful.

But these verses remind us that our faith isn’t dependent on our circumstances — it’s anchored in our relationship with Jesus.

When Paul says, “this is God’s will for you,” he’s saying that joy, prayer, and gratitude aren’t just reactions to what’s happening — they’re spiritual habits that keep us connected to God through everything that happens.

No matter the season, there’s always something to thank Him for, always a reason to pray, and always hope to be found in His presence.

God’s will for our lives is to grow in relationship with Him, walk out the path and purpose He has for us, and share who He is with anyone and everyone we can.

While doing these things, we will need to always be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful in all circumstances. That is simply because we need to remember that our joy is from the Lord, our prayers are heard by the Lord, and our gratitude belongs to the Lord.

When we walk knowing personally who God is and what He provides, we will find that these habits of joy, prayer, and gratitude will keep us going and keep our eyes and hearts focused on God.

Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings — but they do.

We can find it hard to be joyful, to pray and ask God to help us, and to be thankful when we are going through a difficult time.

But when we obey these commands, it goes against what might come naturally to us. So, we have to make an intentional decision sometimes to live out these commands.

Obeying these commands helps us to learn the importance of following God’s instructions in general — and that is because these commands will be daily choices that we make.

Just like you wake up and say, “I’m deciding that today is going to be a good day,” you can decide to be joyful, pray continuously, and be thankful for every moment that God has given you.

The posture of our hearts will help us to walk out always being joyful, to never stop praying, and to be thankful in all circumstances.

When our hearts believe in God and know what He says is true, we can find so many hard things easier — and that is because He is the one strengthening us with His righteous right hand. He is the one leading and guiding us through every twist and turn in life.

When we look to the Lord as the one and only one who can fill us up and provide our needs, we have set the posture of our heart and life toward Him because we know that our dependence is on Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NLT) “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Let’s take a closer look at that first phrase — “Always be joyful.”

Joy doesn’t mean pretending life is great all the time. It means holding onto peace when life isn’t. Joy isn’t about smiling through pain; it’s about knowing that God is still good even when things aren’t.

Real joy doesn’t come from what’s happening to us — it comes from Who’s living in us.

When you find joy in Jesus, it can’t be taken away by disappointment, delays, or difficulty. It becomes a quiet strength that carries you through.

So maybe today, your joy doesn’t look like laughter. Maybe it looks like endurance — choosing to trust God even when you don’t understand. That’s real joy.

When I think of joy, I get this image in my head of children laughing or someone who is always smiling and looking at what good can come out of things…

But joy doesn’t have to be carried on outwardly. I’m not an outwardly joy-showing person, but I do have the joy of the Lord in me. It is seen the most when others know I’m going through something, but I’m actually doing okay. This is because I haven’t let my circumstance determine my mood, and I haven’t let my emotions rule over where I’m at spiritually.

Sure, things get hard and you will have days when all that hardness shows, but no matter what, it is all in how you deal with things.

When we know that the Lord is with us, we can rejoice every day in knowing just that.

Always be joyful… The word “always” seems daunting, and if we take that off, “be joyful” sounds like a command.

Well, this is somewhat of a command. This verse simply says, “Always be joyful.” Or another way it is written is “Rejoice always.”

It’s direct and to the point. But we still find ourselves questioning — always, really?

God calls us to be and do a lot of things throughout the Bible, and being joyful is one of those things.

We are to remember that God is in control even when we are in the midst of turmoil.

The only way to truly remember that is to put it into practice and also remember what God has brought you through. With those things, we will find that always being joyful will come more and more naturally to us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NLT) “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Then Paul says, “Never stop praying.”

That doesn’t mean we spend every minute with our eyes closed and hands folded. It means we live in constant awareness of God’s presence — talking to Him, listening, and depending on Him throughout the day.

Prayer keeps your heart soft and your mind steady. It’s how you stay connected when life tries to pull you in a hundred directions.

And finally, “Be thankful in all circumstances.”

Notice it doesn’t say for all circumstances — it says in them. You don’t have to be thankful for the hard things, but you can be thankful in them — because God is still working, still present, still faithful.

Gratitude shifts your focus from what’s missing to what’s constant — and that’s Him.

Never stop praying… Another phrase that seems daunting.

I’ve heard some say, “Does this mean to literally never stop praying?” or someone ask, “How is this possible?”

Great questions — and honestly, it took me a while to fully understand this phrase.

How I understood it best was that when you are in a relationship with someone and you can’t wait to talk to them and let them know all that is going on — and when you do talk with them, you just feel so connected. That’s what it’s like when you’re communicating with the Lord all the time. You are always aware of Him, and with that, you are always talking and praying.

That’s the connection and relationship God wants with us. So yes, though this says never stop praying, I think it’s about being in communication with Him in general.

Being thankful in all circumstances — now, I know we have each had at least one circumstance that we were not thankful for.

But the Bible says in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. We don’t have to be thankful for what has happened, but we need to be thankful that the Lord was with us in it.

We need to always be thankful for God’s presence and for the good that He will accomplish through our trials.

When we understand that our perspective needs to be on the presence of God no matter where we are, and when we learn that, we will in fact be thankful in all circumstances.

So today, let these three truths shape your day:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances.

Not because life is perfect, but because God is.

Joy keeps your spirit strong.

Prayer keeps your heart connected.

Gratitude keeps your focus clear.

And together, they remind you that even when everything changes, God’s will for you remains the same — to live with hope, to walk in faith, and to see His goodness in every season.

So, wherever you are today, take a deep breath, whisper a prayer, and thank God — not just for what He’s done, but for who He is.

Because in His presence, there’s always a reason for joy.