1 Thessalonians 1:2 – Giving Thanks Comes First

2 We are thanking God always concerning you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

As soon as Paul makes mention of the Thessalonians in his prayers, he cannot help but thank God. Thanksgiving literally holds a prominent place in his prayers. We see the same in other letters. “First, indeed, I am thanking my God” (Rom. 1:8) and: “I am thanking my God always concerning you” (1 Cor. 1:4). Paul’s prayers strikingly often begin with thanksgiving.

It is also striking whom he thanks. His thanks are not directed to the Thessalonians, but to God. What he sees in them, Paul regards as God’s achievement. Their faith is no reason to pat them on the back, but to give God the glory. And no one is excluded: “concerning you all.” The entire ecclesia gives him reason for thanksgiving.

Paul “makes mention” of them in his prayers. This obviously does not mean that God might have forgotten them, but that Paul thinks of them before God. And precisely when he does so, thanksgiving wells up. In the next verse, it will become clear what he specifically remembers: their faith, love, and expectation. But even before these are named, thanksgiving to God comes first here. Whoever recognizes God’s work in people sees in it, above all, reason to thank Him.

Share: