A Three-Minute Rhythm for a Quiet, Grateful Heart
If you’ve shopped at Hobby Lobby in the last decade, perhaps you have word art somewhere in your home proclaiming, “Live, Laugh, Love” or “Faith, Family, Friends” or another set of words or phrases along those lines.
Maybe you have a trio of commands from Scripture framed and hanging on your kitchen wall; mine has lived above my fireplace mantel since I moved in. It says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,” based on Romans 12:12.
As we enter the Thanksgiving season, another print appears, styled with a few little pumpkins, a cinnamon candle, or some autumn greenery. Its words are from 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything.”
It’s helpful to have reminders from God’s Word placed where you can see them and there’s nothing wrong with having fun with seasonal decor. But sometimes we forget that Paul didn’t write these words to look pretty on our wall—he wrote them to transform the pattern of our lives.
Each short command in 1 Thessalonians 5 (“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything”) comes across as deceptively simple, like nothing more than a slogan for Christians to mount on the walls of their lives. But Paul doesn’t exhort you to display these verses or even affirm them. He calls you to live them, going so far as to say they are “God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).
It’s possible to look joyful, say a quick prayer, and voice thanks at the dinner table—but Paul isn’t after appearances. The question is not whether these words decorate your home, but whether they define your heart and your personal life before God. It’s worth asking: are the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 something you display or rhythms you live out day after day?
The Life Cycle of Joy, Prayer, and Gratitude
The Lord used these short verses to convict me the semester my Bible study group walked through 1 Thessalonians. We wrapped up our semester together with a debrief night, where each leader shared what we’d personally learned from the book, and I assumed my main takeaway would be some of the leadership lessons from chapter two or the comfort of Christ’s coming from chapter four. But the week we studied chapter 5, the Holy Spirit convicted my heart deeply.
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything”? If the commands are not a suggestion but the standard, who among us hasn’t fallen woefully short?
Notice that the first two commands address our time (“always” and “constantly”) while the last one deals with our circumstances. If that’s the case, then rejoicing only when the mood is right, praying only when it fits our schedule, and giving thanks only when life is good doesn’t quite cut it.
It’s also interesting that Paul begins with the command to rejoice rather than to pray. During the weeks that my Bible study walked through 1 Thessalonians 5, the circumstances of my life had been so painful, I could barely get the words out to share why the verse felt timely. On the surface, joy seemed impossible.
But for the Christian, joy isn’t sourced from circumstances; it’s based in the blessings that are ours because we are in Christ.1 It’s grounded in God’s activity and work among His people.2 Even if we had no other reasons to be joyful on this side of heaven, the reality of what God has accomplished through Jesus’ death and resurrection would give us infinite reasons to celebrate.
Joy grows when your heart leans on God. The more you choose to rejoice in God’s character and promises, the more your heart is trained to trust Him in your circumstances. You begin turning to Him more often, and as you see His faithfulness and power at work, you can’t help but give thanks.
Do you see how each of these commands feed each other?
- Joy grows prayer. The more you delight in God and trust in Him, the more you want to talk to Him.
- Prayer grows gratitude. The more time you spend in God’s presence, the more thankful you’ll be for who He is and all He’s done.
- Gratitude grows joy. As you thank God, you become increasingly more aware of His goodness in all areas of your life, which rekindles your joy.
And the cycle begins again.
Do You Have Three Minutes?
The descriptors Paul used for rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in these verses imply that they’re meant to be continuous and recurring, characterizing our lives as believers. We might say that we want to be joyful, prayerful, and grateful, but how often do we actually pursue the actions to cultivate them?
Here’s the basic reminder I often have to tell myself: wanting to be a certain kind of woman and working to become that woman are different things. We often need to be intentional about implementing what’s not natural for us through consistent, daily discipline.
That’s why this month I’m focusing on putting these commands into practice. Want to join me? Commit to setting aside three minutes, three times a day, to help these commands become a more natural part of your daily rhythm. Here’s how it works:
1. Rejoice in the Morning
If you are already spending time in the Word each morning, possibly with our 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge, consider adding three minutes to your routine. After you read the Word, reflect on what it shows you about who God is, and turn those reflections into reasons to rejoice.
For example, if you spent your devotional time in 1 Thessalonians 5, you might rejoice that God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation (v. 9), and that His desire is for us to live together with Him (v. 10). Jot these reasons for rejoicing in the margin of your Notetaking Bible, in a journal or notebook, or simply take a moment to express your reasons for joy in the Lord out loud to Him.
As you root your praise in God Himself, your focus shifts from yourself and your circumstances to God’s character and promises. Anchoring your joy in who God is and what He’s done makes it more likely you’ll turn to Him as your day progresses.
2. Pray at Midday
There’s an alarm on my phone that goes off in the middle of my lunch break, reminding me to take three minutes and pray. It’s a prompt to remember that the pile of needs weighing heavily on my heart are not mine to carry. It’s a chance to pause and lift up specific requests—whether my own or those of others—and bring them before God, who cares about every detail and is more than able to respond with power and compassion.
On days when midday comes and it feels like the effects of my morning devotional time are long gone, it’s also a chance to ask the Lord for help—to admit that nothing in me feels like rejoicing and that I need His Spirit to produce in me what I’m not able to manufacture myself (Gal. 5:22). Sometimes it looks like simply sitting quietly in His presence, relying on His peace to reset my perspective and guide me into the rest of the afternoon.
3. Give Thanks to End Your Day
Finally, choose a time to add three minutes to mark the end of your day: as soon as you finish work and close your laptop, after you’ve tucked your kids in for the night, or once you’ve climbed into bed yourself.
This routine may not need a timer, just a trigger that reminds you to do it at the same moment of each day. You could, however, use a stopwatch and include your kids or your husband, encouraging them to list as many reasons as they can in three minutes. Then read back through the list together, thanking God for His gifts and for the glimpses of His grace you saw during the day (James 1:17).
No matter how you choose to do it, take a cue from Paul and let your gratitude be grounded in your understanding about who God is. It’s because Paul was convinced that in any and all circumstances God was at work on behalf of his people (Rom. 8:28) that he was able to encourage others to give thanks at all times.3
When you express your gratitude to God, you not only join Paul in worshiping the Lord, but your voice joins with centuries of saints, who learned to
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 107:1)
God’s Will Today and Your Future Forever
When my Bible study met for the final time to discuss 1 Thessalonians, we ended the night on our knees, praying the same words Paul had prayed:
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. . . . He who calls you is faithful; he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)
It’s a comfort to know that our efforts aren’t dependent on our own strength—they’re empowered by the Spirit of God. He continually shapes us into the image of Christ, even as we stumble along, failing to pray constantly and rejoice and give thanks as we should.
His promise will come to pass: He will sanctify you completely. He will do it. Because He who called you is faithful. And on the day when He finishes the work He began in your heart, when you are completely sanctified and see Him, how else could you respond but with unending joy and eternal gratitude?
The commands given in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 are God’s will for your life today, and they’re training you for eternity. While words scrolled on wall art may fade over time, the truth of God’s Word, lived out daily, will be etched on your heart for forever, preparing you for eternity with Him.
1 Thomas L. Constable, “1 Thessalonians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 708.
2 Michael Holmes, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 182.
3 Michael Holmes, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 182.
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