DANCING IN THE RAIN
I’ve heard it said that we can spend a lot of time praying for sunshine, when we just need to learn 
to dance in the rain. How can this be done? Well, it all depends on who your dance partner is. One 70′s song says, “I hear laughter in the rain, walking hand in hand with the one I love.” It all depends on whether I choose to set my heart on the rain or on the one who is the lover of my soul – Jesus! It doesn’t matter how the events and circumstances around our life happened, our response is to be the same.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 [NASB]
“Be grateful in each experience of life …” The Message
We are not told to give thanks for all circumstances, but to give thanks in all circumstances. Our emphasis is to be on Jesus and the giving of thanks to Him. This is not meant to just be a cold, sterile, academic response to some religious doctrine, but to lift our head and gaze into the eyes of our living savior and praise Him for who He is. To truly see from the vantage point of the finished work of redemption is to praise Jesus even in the midst of adversity around us, not just in the absence of it.
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips that give thanks [confess] to His name.” Hebrews 13:15
The word for give thanks is “homologeo” and it means to speak the same as another, agreeable to truth; public acknowledgement. To give thanks in all situations is for us to acknowledge and agree with all that God has said about Himself, His love, His redemption – who He is . . . and this is no matter what the condition of things around us. We may not be able to change the stuff happening or even how we feel – but we can praise, we can speak the truth of what the Lord says about Himself and of us in Him. We can choose to dance . . . He promises to lead.
When we choose to give thanks to the Lord instead of saying and reciting in our minds just what we think we see through our situations, the Lord shows off His peace that passes understanding, His love that will not let us go, His grace that is more than enough. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed and in over our head, but the good news is we are not in over the Lord’s head and that’s all that matters. Can you hear it? . . . it’s the sound of laughter in the rain (Psalm 126:2).
Love in Christ,
Pastor David Hughes
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Great Word!