Prayer & Thanksgiving
July 17, 2024
Pastor Gordon Cook
Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
There is a little paperback by the Puritan Thomas Watson titled A Godly Man's Picture. In other words, what does a godly man look like? And typically like a Puritan, he has 24 characteristics of a godly man or a godly woman, and two of them are found right here in Colossians 4. A godly man prays, that's what he argues, and then a godly man gives thanks. The world has a version of thankfulness. I'm sure you've heard people in the workforce or wherever give thanks. But it doesn't focus upon God, often it focuses upon people and it doesn't operate at all times. The Christian can give thanks at all times. Think of Jonah. I never thought of this before, Jonah in the belly of a fish is giving thanks to God. Did you know that? Jonah 2:9, maybe he is just thankful he's alive. “But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.” That's when he's in the belly of a fish.
And when you turn to the New Testament you find the apostle Paul giving thanks more than anybody else, and no one suffered as much as the apostle Paul. And if there's one church that he pastored, and was very much engaged with it was the church in Galatia. I think there were many churches, maybe even two or three churches in that region of Galatia, but he never gives thanks to God for them, not once. And you know why, they were on the verge of apostasy, they were flirting with a false gospel, but not one word of thanks for the Galatians. But when you turn to Colossians, go right back to chapter 1, this is where it starts, Colossians 1:3, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus.” Notice how he starts it off with the adverb always, “we always thank God.”
Again, a Christian can thank God in any circumstance, all situations; not once in a while, not occasionally, but always. We always thank God. And then he presses that again if you turn over to the next chapter of Colossians, Colossians 2:6, “Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught,” this is what he says, “abounding in thanksgiving.” Abounding. That's a big adverb, abounding, overflows, think of Niagara Falls, it abounds with water, or a huge river that overflows. That's what he's trying to convey, we are to abound in thanksgiving. Turn to Colossians 3, here's another place where he picks up that thanksgiving word. This time he employs it twice in Colossians 3:15 and then again in verse 16. Let's look at that, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.” Verse 16, and I think there's a connection here between having the word of Christ dwell in you richly and also giving thanks, but look at what he says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts, to God.”
And then that last chapter we read earlier, chapter 4. So you see, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, and then chapter 4 again he calls us to giving thanks, and this time he links it to prayer. Do you notice that? Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” So he tells us three things should shape our prayers. What are they? Perseverance. Steadfastness. Watchfulness. Why do we have to watch? Well, there's always danger of not watching, the devil doesn't want us to watch. We have to guard our hearts even when we pray, but then he closes off with this matter of thanksgiving. That's the third thing. Shape your prayers with thanksgiving. I think it was Spurgeon who said, “Our prayers should be perfumed with thanksgiving.” I wondered how much of our anxiety, fear, worry, whatever you want to call it, would be negated, would not be as intense as it often is, if we practice giving thanks always. That's the thanksgiving he commands us, or wants us to give. This always thanksgiving, this abounding thanksgiving, this prayerful thanksgiving.
Pastor Gordon Cook
Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
There is a little paperback by the Puritan Thomas Watson titled A Godly Man's Picture. In other words, what does a godly man look like? And typically like a Puritan, he has 24 characteristics of a godly man or a godly woman, and two of them are found right here in Colossians 4. A godly man prays, that's what he argues, and then a godly man gives thanks. The world has a version of thankfulness. I'm sure you've heard people in the workforce or wherever give thanks. But it doesn't focus upon God, often it focuses upon people and it doesn't operate at all times. The Christian can give thanks at all times. Think of Jonah. I never thought of this before, Jonah in the belly of a fish is giving thanks to God. Did you know that? Jonah 2:9, maybe he is just thankful he's alive. “But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.” That's when he's in the belly of a fish.
And when you turn to the New Testament you find the apostle Paul giving thanks more than anybody else, and no one suffered as much as the apostle Paul. And if there's one church that he pastored, and was very much engaged with it was the church in Galatia. I think there were many churches, maybe even two or three churches in that region of Galatia, but he never gives thanks to God for them, not once. And you know why, they were on the verge of apostasy, they were flirting with a false gospel, but not one word of thanks for the Galatians. But when you turn to Colossians, go right back to chapter 1, this is where it starts, Colossians 1:3, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus.” Notice how he starts it off with the adverb always, “we always thank God.”
Again, a Christian can thank God in any circumstance, all situations; not once in a while, not occasionally, but always. We always thank God. And then he presses that again if you turn over to the next chapter of Colossians, Colossians 2:6, “Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught,” this is what he says, “abounding in thanksgiving.” Abounding. That's a big adverb, abounding, overflows, think of Niagara Falls, it abounds with water, or a huge river that overflows. That's what he's trying to convey, we are to abound in thanksgiving. Turn to Colossians 3, here's another place where he picks up that thanksgiving word. This time he employs it twice in Colossians 3:15 and then again in verse 16. Let's look at that, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.” Verse 16, and I think there's a connection here between having the word of Christ dwell in you richly and also giving thanks, but look at what he says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts, to God.”
And then that last chapter we read earlier, chapter 4. So you see, chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, and then chapter 4 again he calls us to giving thanks, and this time he links it to prayer. Do you notice that? Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” So he tells us three things should shape our prayers. What are they? Perseverance. Steadfastness. Watchfulness. Why do we have to watch? Well, there's always danger of not watching, the devil doesn't want us to watch. We have to guard our hearts even when we pray, but then he closes off with this matter of thanksgiving. That's the third thing. Shape your prayers with thanksgiving. I think it was Spurgeon who said, “Our prayers should be perfumed with thanksgiving.” I wondered how much of our anxiety, fear, worry, whatever you want to call it, would be negated, would not be as intense as it often is, if we practice giving thanks always. That's the thanksgiving he commands us, or wants us to give. This always thanksgiving, this abounding thanksgiving, this prayerful thanksgiving.
Posted in Pastor Devotional