“Peaceful Thanks and Thanks for Peace”
The church in Colossae existed amid great uneasiness. Once the leading city of the area, Colossae had lost some of its grandeur to sister cities nearby. Paul is the author of this letter to the Colossian church; but unlike other churches to which he wrote, he probably did not plant this church. Thus, the church had no ready-made founding father to consult. Worst of all, the young church was plagued by many heresies. All this leads one to presume this was a church filled with anxiety.
Despite the assumed church angst, the apostle Paul wrote the following words to the church, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . . and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
Paul said let Christ rule in your heart, and you will find peace. And when you find God’s peace, “Be thankful.” On January 1, 1991, our Marine son Scott shipped out to the Desert Storm war. My wife and I are familiar with war. Her father served and was wounded in Germany in World War II. My brother, thirteen years my senior, also served in that war. We were familiar enough with armed conflict to be genuinely concerned. In the days that followed, I found myself anxiously thinking about Scott when I needed to be doing other things. My son and the war would be my final thought at night and my first thought in the morning. Often, I would wake during the night worrying.
One morning at about 2:00 a.m., I got up to pray about it all again. I emerged from that prayer time with a “peace that passes understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) God did not promise my son would come home safely, even though I had asked for that promise. Instead, I received an overwhelming assurance that God was in charge---in control, and I did not need to worry. It would be good if I could tell you I never worried about it again. It continued to be a concern, but I had peace---a peace from God; and now I could function normally.
Paul told the Christians at Colossae, “You were called to peace . . . be thankful for that peace.” Perhaps you are wrestling with some great concern. Find a way to give that concern to God and accept His peace. God can give you a peace that passes understanding, and that will help you celebrate Thanksgiving.
