In the past couple of weeks, questions have swirled all around us. Our friends, neighbors, and coworkers are asking questions like, “Will we all get sick?” “Why isn’t the government doing a better job?” “Will my retirement account be wiped out?” “Will I have a job a month from now?” “How far is ‘social distance’ again?” Many of these overtake our thinking as well. But Christians have other concerns which, rightly considered, temper and order the others. Atop the list of Christian questions is, “What does God want for me in this time?”

Let me take just a few moments as we start our week to help answer this, at least in part. God wants your trust in Christ and your hope in the gospel to spill out into your life through joy, prayer, and gratitude. How can I be so sure of this?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God’s will is what He wants for you. And what He wants for you flows directly from what He’s done for you. That’s what the phrase “in Christ Jesus” communicates. Christians have undergone a change. They’re no longer citizens of this world, first and foremost. They’re new creations, given a renewed image and new desires. They rest themselves on a new reality in which God has granted every spiritual blessing because of their union with Christ. And this union with Christ changes everything.

During this unusual season, consider joy, prayer, and gratitude, asking God to recalibrate our hearts. That’s only possible in Christ. But the good news is, it’s always possible in Christ. May our hearts remained fixed on Him.