Be joyful always;

pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess 5:16-18).

Here is the well-known scripture of three commands—to be joyful, to pray, and to give thanks. Pay attention also to the adverbial phrases attached to them—“always,” “continually,” and “in all circumstances.” Look at the following psalm where you also see the same three elements of joy, prayer and thanksgiving emerge:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations (Ps 100).

The Hebrew word for “to worship (avad)” means to work and serve, which is equivalent to “to pray” for us. The important truth you find in this psalm is that you “come before him” or “enter his gates” with joy and thanksgiving. If you want to worship God or pray to him, you will need to come before him. And if you want to come before him, you will need to be joyful and give thanks to him. In the above words of 1 Thess 5:16-18, Paul urges you to be joyful always and given thanks in all circumstances so that you can pray and worship him continually.

The Bible teaches us that joy comes from God. In heaven, there is great joy before God. That is why whether you are an angel or a human, you will need to be joyful if you want to stand before him.

You have made known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Ps. 16:11).

God is love, life and light. In the same way, God is joy. Love, life and light as well as joy are all, the essence or the nature of God. In the book of Proverbs, we find the following passage concerning the wisdom that existed before the creation of this universe:

… when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind (Prov 8:29-31).

This wisdom, the preexistent Word, came to this world, and lived among us. He said one time concerning this joy:

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11).