“Give thanks in all circumstances.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
In Paul’s benediction in his letter to the Thessalonian church, He gives this instruction with urgency. He writes the church that he prays for them with thanksgiving at the beginning of the letter and then urges them to pray with thanksgiving at the end. He bookends this letter and so many others with thanksgiving. Let’s read it with the surrounding verses. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This is God’s will for us. Paul states it plainly. Now this is not the sum total of God’s will for us, but this is most clearly part of it. God’s will is for us to give thanks in all circumstances. Maybe this imperative was not a problem for you in other years, but you may be wondering what there is to give thanks for in this year, in 2020.
It’s the all of the verse that gets us; ALL circumstances. 2020 has been dark for many of us - for the country, for the world. Our team has felt it all too- the anxiety, the division, the angst, the brokenness, the suffering. We have felt perhaps more than any other year the longing for Jesus to return and make all things new. But here the Word says all, so we know that whatever circumstances we find ourselves in at the end of THIS year, there is reason to praise the Lord. That does not mean we are ignoring the suffering, but rather coupling our prayers for healing with thankfulness and giving God the glory He is absolutely due.
As our team reflects on what God has done throughout our ministry year, we find much for which to give Him glory. Will you join us in thanking God for these praises? We invite you to join us by reflecting on all there is to thank God for in your own life.
We want to start by thanking God for His life-giving Word! We do not have to wonder what God is saying, for He has already spoken. He has given us what we need for today, and for endurance for this year, in His Word and through His Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus.
We are thankful for YOU! The women in Dayton hungry for God’s Word, who God has given us to serve. We love to dwell richly with you. And we are thankful for the generosity of the many who support DWITW both financially and through prayer that allowed us to do so this year.
We are thankful for the mission God has given us to be women helping women read their Bibles. We are thankful for the team He has given us, and the growth and pruning He has done amongst the team. We are thankful for our founder Natalie mentoring new leadership and grateful for her continued support. We are thankful for our 2020 team lead, Brittany, and her leadership during this unprecedented time. We are thankful for a team who is Christ-focused who has sought God’s will and way with each new curve ball served up by 2020. Although our team is diverse in our thinking, our team has fought for unity and has been able to love one another through a difficult season.
As we approached the conference date in March, God gave our team discernment and unity to navigate decisions about the conference in light of COVID. We praise God for the trust He grew in our hearts and for the preparation of the conference main session and workshop teachers. We know God spoke so much to these women and that Word will not return void.
As we reflect on our summer study, we know it looked very different this year, but God blew us away by going before us and providing for our needs. Over 500 women from all age groups around the globe studied with us. We are thankful for the technology God provided to study safely with loved ones near and far in this unprecedented year. Many previous participants took on a leader role this year in their individual areas of influence (friends/family/church/etc), and more women participated in summer study in the context of their local churches than ever before.
Much work goes into summer study that is unseen every year. We know the Lord sees it and is honored by it, and we believe this work by these saints has furthered the gospel. We are thankful for the summer study teacher team and for their dedication to the Word. We are thankful for the generosity of volunteers who donated their gifts and time to the ministry, especially in filming the summer study videos and providing every graphic for the study.
Our podcast and blog teams also put much effort into content that reflected and celebrated God’s faithfulness this year. We see that God went before us in choosing these topics that He wanted us to reflect on in 2020. This spring, God spoke to us about the ways He breaks barriers to His Word through our podcast guests and writers. This fall, we learned about several Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled with His time on earth through our podcast and blog. Our content team also led our social media audience in a sermon prep challenge, calling women to engage in the Word through study in the week leading up to hearing their pastor’s sermon.
We want to thank God for continued opportunities to equip women in His Word, such as church workshops and teaching collective, as well. Many new faces who joined the collective this year to learn more about God’s Word and how to share it in their areas of influence. Nine women have taught us in 2020’s collective, and we heard from two teaching panels in February and August. Our ministry also sponsored four women to attend a workshop with Nancy Guthrie this fall, where they were equipped further in their Bible teaching gifts.
We feel so tested by this year, but as we reflect on all God has done, we are immensely strengthened and joyful. We know God has grown us in endurance as we have clung to His life-giving Word in 2020. We pray the same for you, dear ones. Hold tightly to the truth and to our good Father. Together, let us persevere in prayer and practice the presence of God with a grateful sort of grit.
