1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ASV)

Passage

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing;

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit;

1 Thessalonians 5:20 despise not prophesyings;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "rejoice", "always", "pray", "without", "ceasing", "everything", and "give". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "will of God" and "rejoice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "See that none render unto any one..." into verse 19's "Quench not the Spirit...", so "will of God" and "rejoice" belong inside that flow. In 1 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "will of God" and "rejoice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.