1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (DBY)

Passage

rejoice always; pray unceasingly; in everything give thanks, for this is [the] will of God in Christ Jesus towards you;

Nearby Context

1 Thessalonians 5:14 But we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, sustain the weak, be patient towards all.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one render to any evil for evil, but pursue always what is good towards one another and towards all;

1 Thessalonians 5:16 rejoice always;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray unceasingly;

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks, for this is [the] will of God in Christ Jesus towards you;

1 Thessalonians 5:19 quench not the Spirit;

1 Thessalonians 5:20 do not lightly esteem prophecies;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "will of God", "rejoice", "always", "pray", "unceasingly", "everything", "give", and "thanks". 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 no one render to any..." 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.