The reason for thanking God the Father (1)
[Colossians 1:1-8]
Third, the apostle Paul thanked God the Father for the hope laid up in heaven by the faithful saints in Colossae.
Look at Colossians 1:5 - "because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel." Have you ever felt confined from all directions, east, west, south, and north? In fact, aren't we all globally confined due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Why is God leading us into a situation where we appear confined to human eyes? During the exodus, the Israelites were also seen as confined by the Red Sea in front of Pharaoh (Exod. 14:2), and David was confined in the eyes of Israel's King Saul in the city of Keilah (1 Sam. 23:7). Perhaps the reason is to make us cry out to God, receive His word, and believe in the salvation (deliverance) of God based on the hope of the kingdom of heaven, even in seemingly confined situations.
If we look at the Bible, it's not only the Israelites and David who appeared confined to human eyes. In Genesis 40:3, Joseph was confined in prison; in Jeremiah 38:6, the prophet Jeremiah was confined in a pit; in Jonah 2, the prophet Jonah was confined within a great fish's belly; and in the book of Acts, Peter, Paul, and Silas were confined in prison (Acts 12:5; 16:23-24). When we find ourselves confined, all we can do is quietly trust in God's salvation. Listen to what Moses said when the Israelites were confined by the Red Sea: "Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent'" (Exod. 14:13-14). The crucial thing is that when we are confined, and we see no solution from any direction, and when we can't lift ourselves up, it is to believe that the God of salvation will surely deliver us in His time and in His way. Look at Zechariah 9:12, "Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope." We must remember that no matter how confined we are, we are prisoners of hope. So, when I find myself confined, unable to see a solution no matter which way I look, feeling disheartened and anxious, I often remember Psalms 42:5, 11, and 43:5, where the psalmist declares and petitions to God: "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Therefore, personally, when I feel confined, disheartened, and anxious, unable to see a solution in any direction, I pray with these words to myself: ‘James, why are you disheartened and anxious? Put your hope in the Lord!’
In Colossians 1:5, the Apostle Paul explains the third reason why he thanks God the Father every time he prays for the saints in the church at Colossae: "because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this, you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel." In other words, Paul expresses gratitude to God the Father while praying for the faithful saints in Colossae due to the hope they have stored up in heaven. This reminded me of the believers in the Thessalonian church when Paul prayed for them. The reason is that when Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, he also thanked God the Father for them based on the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ that they possessed (1 Thess. 1:2-3). Indeed, Paul's gratitude to God the Father, whether for the saints in Colossae or the Thessalonians, was consistently rooted in their faith, love, and hope (Col. 1:3-5; 1 Thess.1:2-3). Particularly, regarding the hope of the Thessalonians, Paul's specific reason for thanking God was that they were eagerly waiting for the coming of Jesus. Look at 1 Thessalonians 1:10: "and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." So, what was the "hope laid up in heaven" that made Paul express gratitude to God every time he prayed for the Colossian saints? I found the answer in Colossians 3:4: "When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." This brought to mind 1 John 3:2-3 when meditating on this passage: "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." Also, when contemplating this, I thought of 1 Thessalonians 3:13: "so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints." A similar prayer by Paul is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23: "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Why did Paul pray like this? The reason is that their holiness is God's will (Col. 4:2). In essence, the consistent message in 1 John 3:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, and 5:23 is that, having the hope of the return of Jesus, we, like Him, should be holy. Therefore, Paul advises the Colossian saints to set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth (Col. 3:2), to seek the things that are above. There, Christ is seated at the right hand of God (v. 1). As Jesus said in Matthew 6:20, "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Apostle Peter echoes this sentiment in 1 Peter 1:4: "to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." May you be abundantly filled with such heavenly treasures and blessings.