Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and acceptable before God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth.
Questions
- In verse 1 Paul offers several synonyms for prayer, and he includes Thanksgivings, how does thanksgiving relate to prayer?
- How are the Christians to offer thanksgivings for all, even those who harm us?
- How do the prayers offered in verse 1 relate to living a quiet life in verse 2?
- How does the life of prayer relate to God’s desire for all to be saved and Jesus’ work as mediator?
Background
Related Scriptures: Matthew 6:25-33; Philippians 4:1-7
It is in the work of prayer in its various forms that the essence of Christian living emerges, where everything must be done ultimately in the spirit of love, particularly the love of Jesus Christ.[1]
There are two ways that offering prayer and thanksgiving helps the Christian, first it keeps us from developing a superiority complex regarding those outside the Church who God wants to know salvation. Second, it keeps us from worry when the world outside looks bleak.
Requests is a good translation of the Greek; the idea is to ask something of God in the expectation of receiving it. “Prayers” is the most generic term and simply indicates any time spend communicating with God. Petitions is very similar to the term used for request but there is an intercessory element to it; this is not simply requests made to God, but requests made on behalf of others. Thanksgivings is an expression of gratitude for something or someone.
We should pray for all precisely because Jesus’ work is for all and God wants all to be saved.
Reflection
Commentators often remark about the fact that the first issue addressed in 1 Timothy is that of prayer. Paul calls on the church in Ephesus to dedicate time to praying for all people, and to do this he uses four different words. This is not meant to be a formula which is to be pushed on the church every service but a reminder that prayer has different elements and each of these is to be directed toward the continuing of God’s mission. I like how Theodore of Mopsuestia describes the four words Paul uses
Here supplications express the desire for good things from God. Prayers express the desire to be released from various evils. Intercessions ask for freedom from undeserved consequences. And thanksgivings express gratitude for blessings.[2]
The breakdown is meant to help us understand that in each way we come to God we can bring our life experiences and find a space with God to address the needs of this world. And since Thanksgiving is this week for Americans, I want to highlight how prayers of thanksgiving work in our lives and the world.
I saw a meme once that read, “Black Friday, because only in America can we show our gratitude for the things we have on Thursday; then spend Friday in a mad dash to get more.” This is true, the idea of thanksgiving is about taking time out of our life to remember the blessings we have and then to show gratitude for God’s continued provision for us. And when Paul calls us to pray for all in our thanksgivings, he encourages us to force ourselves into a position of gratitude. Expressing our gratitude as thanksgiving is important for two reasons, first it keeps us grounded and reminds us of who God is and who we are and second it alleviates worry because it reminds us of what God has done. The audience of this letter seems to have neglected prayers for others because they held themselves as the recipients of God’s salvation and were unconcerned with outsiders. The instruction to remember the outsiders in their thanksgivings was meant to remind the Church in Ephesus that we are to be thankful that God has saved us through Jesus and wants to do the same for everyone. The idea is we can find ways of being thankful for people to remind us of their importance to God. Also, in giving thanks for others and our situations we remind ourselves that God has already given us enough, there is plenty. Worry (as Jesus describes it in Matthew 6) is a concern that there is not enough, that I still need more to have a happy life. Thanksgiving keeps worry at bay because it is the reminder that in God there is no lacking and that God has given generously and so I can as well, and I can pray that others are blessed in the same ways I have been. Paul wants us to reflect on how salvation has impacted our lives and what a generous gift life in Jesus is, and in doing so to show gratitude to God for this gift and desire that everyone receive same gift. As we enter this week and take time for thanksgiving let us look at the blessings we have received and focus on how that gratitude can help us be more vigilant in our prayers for others.
[1] Peter Gorday, ed., Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 151–152.
[2] Peter Gorday, ed., Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 153.
Squinting in the Light 
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