Giving Thanks to the Father

“…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (1:12).

Summary of Colossians 1:9-12

In this short prayer (1:9-12), Paul has taught us to pray for wisdom and understanding so we can know God’s will and walk worthy of Him. Walking worthy of God means living a life that pleases God. Paul goes on to list some ways we can please God (without being exhaustive), including: 

1. Bearing fruit in good works
2. Increasing in the knowledge of God
3. Being strengthened by God’s power to endure and be joyfully patient
4. Being thankful to God for qualifying us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light 

Christian thankfulness

This type of life doesn’t happen on its own. Paul is deliberate to show how this kind of life is enabled by God. First, we are enlightened by the Spirit as He helps us understand and apply Scripture, then we are strengthened by God’s power to endure life’s circumstances, and finally, we are eternally blessed by God’s plan of salvation. At every step, we see how we are held in the Lord’s care and provided for out of His abundance. Yet, we also see our responsibility to walk as He shows us to in His Word, to do good works, to grow in knowledge, to be faithful and endure, and to cultivate a heart of thanks to Him. Paul sums it up well a few verses later when he shows the cooperative nature of our life in Christ by writing: “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Col 1:29, emphasis mine).

To live a life that pleases God, we work and God works–it’s a beautiful “balance” (as John MacArthur described it). We are committed, but He empowers us to be faithful and do the work. As we turn to discuss thankfulness, it is important to keep in mind all that God has done for us. 

Giving thanks: To Respond to God Correctly

Even though thankfulness is the last thing Paul mentions, we should not be quick to gloss over it or think it’s the least important. It might feel like there are more “important” issues to consider in this prayer, like bearing fruit, increasing in knowledge, etc., but being thankful is profoundly important because it is about our heart posture towards God.

In fact, in Romans, Paul lists not being thankful as a character trait of the wicked:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:18 and 21, emphasis mine).

The righteous, in contrast, are known for their thankfulness to God:

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; 
give thanks to Him and bless His name.” (Ps 100:4)

“I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.” (Ps 69:30)

And the New Testament reiterates this right response to God:

“…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Eph 5:19-20)

Giving thanks to God is a way of recognizing who He is and what He has done (He is the one who gives life and breath to all, sustains His creation, and offers salvation to all who believe). It is also a way of humbly admitting that we are not the ones to whom praise is due. 

So, Paul teaches us that a life that pleases God is a thankful life. It is someone who consistently and intentionally thanks God. 

Giving thanks: To Recognize our Spiritual Blessings

Yet, if we’re honest, sometimes our circumstances or situations can make it difficult to be thankful. God isn’t asking us to deny reality or to thank Him for evil things that we experience. This also isn’t a call to “fake it til you make it,” as if just saying “thanks” will make us thankful. 

Look at what Paul says right after “giving thanks to the Father.” He explains that our Father is the one “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Paul points us immediately to our spiritual blessings and eternal life as the motivation for our thanks. It is not that we won’t find temporal or physical things to be thankful for, but it is that we’ll always find endless things to be thankful for in Christ—especially our qualification to receive all the blessings of His kingdom (Rom 8:17). 

If you want to be thankful even in hard times, as Paul encourages us to do, be able to enumerate your spiritual blessings in Christ (think of His promises, presence, and Word). Learn exactly what God has done for you so you can talk about what you’ve received from Him (start in Ephesians 1). Then, you’ll always be ready to thank God!

Thank you God for this prayer in Colossians 1:9-12 that has taught us how to pray for the right things and how to live a life that pleases you!