Graduate 189: Advent & Ephesians, Day 16
"...do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;..."
In light of all that God has done and the many blessings that He has poured out on the Ephesian Christians, and because He has heard such wonderful reports of their faith and conduct and love for all the saints, Paul is led to thank God for the Ephesian Christians and to pray fervently on their behalf.
Thanksgiving is an integral part of the life of prayer for Paul and always accompanies intercession. In Philippians 4:6, he writes, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, he writes, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Even in his first letter to the church at Corinth, where there were numerous problems and conflicts that he had to deal with, he begins by saying, "I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1:4-8) Notice how in that letter and in his letter to the Ephesians (v. 15), the basis for his thanksgiving is the action and goodness of God.
This practice of constantly giving thanks is no less important than the ground or basis of that thanksgiving. Sometimes well-meaning Christians exhort and encourage one another to give thanks in the midst of hardship, but without a clear understanding of what is the proper basis for that thanksgiving. The result is that they come across as naive or as encouraging a pie-in-the-sky polly-annie-ish silly empty-headed notion of happiness. Christians are not called to be thankful because the world is such a happy-go-lucky place or because they are shutting their eyes to reality. Rather, it is because of the awareness of a much deeper, more pervasive, and foundational reality that they can be thankful even in the midst of suffering. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ... What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us." (Romans 8:28, 31) It is because of who God is that we are prompted to give thanks--not because everything in our life is good in itself, but because the good and the bad will all be turned to the glory of God and our own betterment if we will allow God to take control of it. This is the confidence that informs Paul's thanksgiving and it can inform ours as well.
Not only is Paul given to constant thanksgiving, but to constant prayer on behalf of his fellow Christians. This is also a practice we would do well to adopt--hopefully understanding why we are doing it. The idea of praying constantly and continuously and fervently for someone or something puzzles some people. After all, they say, doesn't God already know what I need before I ask? Why do I need to ask Him? And why do I need to ask Him over and over? What's the point?
Many different answers could be given at this point. But here is one that I have found particularly helpful: What is your conception of prayer? What is prayer about? What is it accomplishing? Your answers to these questions will have a big impact on how fervently you approach prayer. So consider this: Prayer is a way of partnering and working with God. When we pray, we are not removing our hands from a situation and dropping it at the feet of God. Rather we are inviting God to enter into that situation with us. I like this picture because it matches well with a broader picture of how God is working with us generally. God's desire for human beings is that they be in relationship with Him. His overarching aim and desire is to partner with human beings to accomplish His work. So it makes sense that prayer would not be a way of eliminating our role in what God accomplishes. Rather, prayer just is a way of coming alongside God in what He is doing. Doesn't it make more sense, on this picture, that Paul would exhort us to pray without ceasing, and that Paul himself would pray for the Ephesian church without ceasing? Think about it and about how you are being related to God.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
In light of all that God has done and the many blessings that He has poured out on the Ephesian Christians, and because He has heard such wonderful reports of their faith and conduct and love for all the saints, Paul is led to thank God for the Ephesian Christians and to pray fervently on their behalf.
Thanksgiving is an integral part of the life of prayer for Paul and always accompanies intercession. In Philippians 4:6, he writes, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, he writes, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Even in his first letter to the church at Corinth, where there were numerous problems and conflicts that he had to deal with, he begins by saying, "I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1:4-8) Notice how in that letter and in his letter to the Ephesians (v. 15), the basis for his thanksgiving is the action and goodness of God.
This practice of constantly giving thanks is no less important than the ground or basis of that thanksgiving. Sometimes well-meaning Christians exhort and encourage one another to give thanks in the midst of hardship, but without a clear understanding of what is the proper basis for that thanksgiving. The result is that they come across as naive or as encouraging a pie-in-the-sky polly-annie-ish silly empty-headed notion of happiness. Christians are not called to be thankful because the world is such a happy-go-lucky place or because they are shutting their eyes to reality. Rather, it is because of the awareness of a much deeper, more pervasive, and foundational reality that they can be thankful even in the midst of suffering. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ... What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us." (Romans 8:28, 31) It is because of who God is that we are prompted to give thanks--not because everything in our life is good in itself, but because the good and the bad will all be turned to the glory of God and our own betterment if we will allow God to take control of it. This is the confidence that informs Paul's thanksgiving and it can inform ours as well.
Not only is Paul given to constant thanksgiving, but to constant prayer on behalf of his fellow Christians. This is also a practice we would do well to adopt--hopefully understanding why we are doing it. The idea of praying constantly and continuously and fervently for someone or something puzzles some people. After all, they say, doesn't God already know what I need before I ask? Why do I need to ask Him? And why do I need to ask Him over and over? What's the point?
Many different answers could be given at this point. But here is one that I have found particularly helpful: What is your conception of prayer? What is prayer about? What is it accomplishing? Your answers to these questions will have a big impact on how fervently you approach prayer. So consider this: Prayer is a way of partnering and working with God. When we pray, we are not removing our hands from a situation and dropping it at the feet of God. Rather we are inviting God to enter into that situation with us. I like this picture because it matches well with a broader picture of how God is working with us generally. God's desire for human beings is that they be in relationship with Him. His overarching aim and desire is to partner with human beings to accomplish His work. So it makes sense that prayer would not be a way of eliminating our role in what God accomplishes. Rather, prayer just is a way of coming alongside God in what He is doing. Doesn't it make more sense, on this picture, that Paul would exhort us to pray without ceasing, and that Paul himself would pray for the Ephesian church without ceasing? Think about it and about how you are being related to God.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 6:47 PM
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