A Lost Art

Colossians 1:9-14

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Bee's Thoughts:

What did Paul pray for the Colossian Christians?

1. knowledge of his will - through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
2. live a life worthy of the Lord - and may please him in every way
3. bearing fruit - in every good work
4. growing in the knowledge of God
5. strengthened with all power
6. have great endurance and patience
7. joyfully giving thanks to the Father

This is a good way to pray for a person, for we all need to cultivate the above attributes.

"give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

To be able to give thanks to God in all situations requires absolute trust in God... to thank God in spite of heartaches and sorrows, in spite of wanting to crying, in spite of being left alone...

So what can I thank God for? I like the poem below:

It's that time of year, God,
when even the secular world says,
"Stop! Take time to say 'Thanks'."

For what? For whom?
The list is endless.

First of all - there's us.
Alive, energetic, enthusiastic -
both within and without,
bursting with health and movement
in spite of the periodic slowdowns,
joyous that you thought enough of us
to give us the experience of life.
Our lives are vibrant
with the flow of Your energy,
touched, seared
by the Love that is You,
yearning to be to others
what You have been to us.

For us, dear God, we thank You!

Then there are the others,
utilizing their creative powers
to enrich our lives
through fields that feed
and rivers that quench,
through fabrics that clothe
and forests that house,
through presence and absence
through the rhythm of then and now.
Without them we would be isolated,
crouching in our corners of self-sufficiency.
But with them we are invited,
called forth to contribute
of our plentiful harvest
to the sum total of humanity.

For all of them, we thank You!

But, most of all, dear God, there is YOU -
gracious, considerate, understanding,
cleansing, challenging, demanding,
drawing us to Your embrace,
clearing, pruning, breaking,
touching, lifting, healing.
Our destinies lie with You,
for we are the branches
grafted with Your Spirit
onto the vine that zaps its sap
into our beings.

For You, our God, we thank You!
.....Loretta Girzaitis




Yes, God, no matter how sad and painful I feel, no matter how lonely I am, I want to give you thanks. For I know I am "in this transient world of impermanence" and my life is just a "mist"... my suffering is just temporal. I want to thank you for all you have done for me... for hearing my prayers always, for the friends you sent me, for the love I experienced... for you are good. Amen