The reason for thanking God the Father (6)
[Colossians 1:1-8]
Second, the Apostle Paul was a person who gave thanks to God the Father.
In situations that seem impossible to be thankful for with human eyes, how can we offer prayers of thanksgiving to God? How can we give thanks to God in the midst of a crisis at the crossroads of life and death? A great biblical example of this is the prophet Jonah, found in Jonah 2. Jonah was in a situation that was far from being able to offer prayers of thanksgiving to God. He spent three days and nights inside a large fish (Jonah 1:17). He was in distress (2:2). He was thrown into the depths of the sea (v. 3). He thought he had been cast away from the Lord (v. 4). His life was slowly fading away (v. 7). He was trapped in the land of death (v. 6). Despite such circumstances, Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving to God (vb. 1, 9). How was this possible? It was because Jonah remembered the grace of God's past salvation bestowed on him. What was the past grace of God that Jonah remembered? It was precisely when he was thrown into the sea, and God appointed a great fish to swallow him, so he spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish (v. 17). This was the salvation of God that Jonah experienced in the past. However, this was probably not the salvation Jonah prayed for and expected. Perhaps the salvation he expected was for God to speak to the fish, commanding it to vomit him onto dry land (2:10). Nevertheless, the sovereign God's salvation was to appoint a great fish to swallow Jonah (1:17). Nonetheless, Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving to God (2:1, 9).
When the response to our prayers does not materialize as we expect, we may find it challenging to give thanks to God. The realization of prayer responses does not necessarily have to occur according to the content of our prayers or our expectations. The reason is that our prayer responses belong to the sovereignty of God. Therefore, we must believe that God's sovereign will has been fulfilled and offer prayers of thanksgiving to God. We must offer prayers of thanksgiving to God because we remember the past salvation of God that He bestowed upon us. We must offer prayers of thanksgiving to God because we believe that "salvation belongs to the Lord" (v. 9). We must offer prayers of thanksgiving to God, believing that the God who has shown salvation in the past will continue to show salvation in the present. We must offer prayers of thanksgiving to God, believing in the unchanging (Heb. 13:8) God of salvation yesterday, today, and forever. We must offer prayers of thanksgiving to God with the assurance and hope of salvation.
When Jonah offered prayers of thanksgiving to God, God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10). Jonah received a response to his prayer. Jonah received salvation from God. Jonah's situation finally changed: from the belly of the fish to dry land. When we offer prayers of thanksgiving to the God of salvation in faith, we will receive responses to our prayers. We will experience the salvation of God. God will change not only our hearts but also our situations.
After receiving the word of God last week, we praised God with the gospel song, "Thanks to God." The second verse of that praise goes: “Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered, Thanks for what Thou dost deny! Thanks for storms that I have weathered, Thanks for all Thou dost supply! Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure, Thanks for comfort in despair! Thanks for grace that none can measure, Thanks for love beyond compare!” We understand that when God answers our prayers, we express gratitude to Him. However, how can we give thanks to God even when our prayers are rejected? This is possible when the word of God dwells richly within us. Look at Colossians 3:16 - "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts." When we know God through His word, we can give thanks to God even when our prayers are rejected, because we trust in Him. The reason is that the God we believe in loves us the most, knows us the best, and gives us the very best. Even if God does not answer our prayers, we can still offer thanks to God the Father because we believe that His reasons for not answering are rooted in His perfect, pleasing, and good will. Just the fact that we can pray to God the Father should make us thankful. We should be grateful that we can pray in the name of Jesus to a God who loves us. We should thank God because He listens and attends to our prayers. As the psalmist in Psalms 116:1-2 said, "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live." We need to pray and give thanks throughout our lives. In other words, we must offer a lifetime of thankful prayers to God. We should learn the prayer of thanks from Jesus. Before performing the miracle of feeding five thousand men with two fish and five loaves, Jesus looked up to heaven and gave thanks (Mt. 14:19, Modern Korean Bible). Also, before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed, saying, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me" (Jn. 11:41). God's amazing work happens when we, in faith, look up to heaven and offer thankful prayers to Him.
Let's all give thanks to God. Every time we pray to God, let's express gratitude. Whenever we offer praise to God, let's give thanks. When speaking to people, let's express thanks. Let's all give thanks to God the Father. As we think about the church and pray, let's hold onto the promise in Matthew 16:18 that the Lord gave to our church, believing in faith that the Lord is establishing and building His church. When thinking about our families and praying, let's give thanks, believing in faith that, as per Romans 8:28, the Lord works all things together for good, even through the challenges and pain in our families. When considering individuals and praying, let's give thanks in faith, trusting that, as mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:13, even if we are not faithful, our faithful Lord continues to fulfill the promises He has given to each of us. God is good, and His steadfast love endures forever!
Apostle Paul, whenever he remembered and prayed for the saints, always gave thanks to God the Father. In today's passage, not only Colossians 1:3 but also Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:3, and Philemon 1:4 reveal that Paul, in his letters, mentioned that he thanked God the Father every time he prayed for the saints. An interesting point about Apostle Paul is the inseparable connection between "prayer" and "thanksgiving" in his perspective. The connection lies in the fact that, as Paul remembered the saints and entrusted them to God in prayer, he thanked God because God was at work in the hearts and lives of those saints. The lesson derived from this is that my responsibility as the lead pastor is to diligently teach God's word to all of you while entrusting you to God in prayer. By doing so, with the eyes of faith, I believe that God is working in your hearts and lives, leading me to offer thankful prayers to God. In today's passage, Colossians 1:3, when Paul prayed for the faithful saints in Colossae, he consistently gave thanks to God the Father. In verses 9 and the second half of 12, Paul continues to pray for them, and in the midst of this ongoing prayer (v. 9), he encourages them to ‘give thanks to God as well, just as you have received instruction’ (v. 12, Modern Korean Bible). Furthermore, in Colossians 3:15, Paul urges the faithful saints in Colossae, ‘And be thankful’ (Modern Korean Bible), and in verse 16, he advises, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly...singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God’ (Modern Korean Bible). Additionally, in Colossians 4:2, he instructs them, ‘Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving’ (Modern Korean Bible). We, too, should become individuals who, relying on Jesus, give thanks to God just as Apostle Paul recommended. Let's praise God with a thankful heart and, when remembering each other and persistently praying, express gratitude to God the Father.