Words About the Word - Michael Atmar - MMPC
“Prayers of
Thanksgiving”
Have you ever noticed how often the apostle Paul mentions thankfulness in his letters? I was recently studying Ephesians 1, and the following verses grabbed my attention: “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16). Can you say the same? When you hear about a fellow believer’s faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for God’s people, do you give thanks to the Lord for them? If I am honest, I must admit that many times I do not. I simply take it for granted that I have the opportunity to live in such a wonderful community where I am surrounded by dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I often forget to give thanks to God for them and I fail to remember them in my prayers.
However, the apostle Paul made gratitude a regular practice in his life. As often as he thought of the believers in the various churches he had visited, he turned those thoughts into prayers. I want to share with you a few other examples from Paul’s epistles. In Philippians 1:3-5, we read the following: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Once again, in Colossians 1:3-5, we read something similar: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” I want to invite you to consider the joy that Paul experienced as he praised God for these believers and remembered them in his prayers.
As I was researching the connection between gratitude and joy, I came across the following statements from various brain science experts: “Experiencing gratitude actually rewires the brain. It helps communication in neurological pathways. It’s been linked to improved sleep, relationship health and mood regulation. When we feel gratitude, our brains release hormones associated with happiness and joy — dopamine and serotonin. Those are two crucial neurotransmitters that are responsible for our emotions. When we release these hormones, they make us feel good. They immediately make us feel happy from the inside.” Clearly, the apostle Paul was on to something with his regular practice of praying prayers of gratitude!
In light of the overwhelming Biblical and scientific evidence that gratitude is good for you, I want to give you an invitation and a challenge as we prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving. Will you take the time each day to give thanks to the Lord for someone in your life who believes in Him? This can be as simple as praying, “Lord, thank you for my friend who loves you and loves your people. I am grateful that you crossed my path with them. Please strengthen them today to live for you and honor you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” If you are at a loss for words in prayer, I encourage you to pray the words of the Scriptures above in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Can you imagine the impact that this simple practice would have in each of our lives if we were faithful and consistent in it? I believe it would transform and strengthen each of our prayer lives, our families, our churches, our schools, and our town. May we live this out together, for the glory of Jesus our King. Amen.
1 “An Attitude of Gratitude: What Science Says About Being Thankful.” Florida International University. https://news.fiu.edu/2024/an-attitude-of-gratitude-what-science-says-about-being-thankful.
