The next component, thanksgiving, is better portrayed by no one — other than the Son — than by Paul. Paul’s prayers are saturated with thanksgiving, especially thanksgiving for God’s grace and the fruit it produces in believers: “We ought always to thank God for you… because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.” Don Carson, a respected evangelical theologian, writes on Paul’s prayers of thanksgiving: “Clearly, thanksgiving is a fundamental component of the mental framework that largely controls Paul’s intercession… That is why, when we first turn to Paul’s thanksgiving, they may startle us… for they do not focus on what many of us habitually cherish.” Thanksgiving, like in all aspects of the Christian life, is essential in prayer. I pray that we all give God thanks for something in our lives today.
