Lynne Baab • Friday December 6 2019
In several of his letters, the Apostle Paul prays for the people he’s writing to. Ever since I memorized the prayer in Colossians in my early twenties, these prayers have been helpful and instructive to me. They have shaped the way I pray.
For this series of posts focused on the idea that mature people hold grief in one hand and thankfulness in the other, I decided to look at some of those prayers that have been so important to me. I saw something new. Take a look at these two prayers:
“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light” (Colossians 1:9-12).
“And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).
Notice that the prayer in Colossians has a direct call to thankfulness. Neither one contains a call to grieve, but as I read them with permission to grieve, I feel a deep sadness that we fall so short of what Paul is praying for. I fall short of the kind of knowledge, strength, love and harvest of righteousness described here, and I see others falling short. I see reports in the news of the many ways Christians fall short of these goals. I truly hate the way that bad behavior on the part of Christians diminishes the appeal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I also grieve that Christians often don’t agree on what “leading a life worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10) or “what is best” (Philippians 1:10) looks like in practice. Obvious examples include our disputes about women ministers, gay marriage, use of alcohol, care for the environment, and many lifestyle choices related to how money is used.
I take heart in the fact that Paul left the model of these prayers for us. We can pray about these things for ourselves and others. We are not left grieving without anything to do – we can pray. If you like the two prayers above from Colossians and Philippians, take a look at Paul’s other prayers in Ephesians 1:15-19, Ephesians 3:14-21, and 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3.
And I take heart from the juxtaposition of two ideas in the prayer in Colossians: “May you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father” (Colossians 1:11-12). We need endurance and patience in hard situations, the kind of situations we grieve about. Here the Apostle Paul seems to be holding those hard things in one hand while calling us to hold thankfulness in the other hand, exactly what I’ve been trying to do.
I give thanks for the many times I do see a “harvest of righteousness” in the lives of people I know and in the ministry of Christians and Christian communities. God does answer these prayers in many ways. I see friends showing love in hard situations in their families and workplaces. I see my own congregation providing a meal and support every week to dozens of homeless people. I see financial generosity, care for the earth, love for strangers, and respectful witness to the Gospel. God’s goodness shines through in so many people and so many places.
I am thankful. And I grieve.
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My two latest books are illustrated with my husband Dave's beautiful watercolors. Friendship, Listening, and Empathy: A Prayer Guide addresses the topics listed in the title and gives suggestion for how to pray for relationships and our ability to listen and care. Draw Near: A Lenten Devotional suggests a psalm for each day of Lent and provide reflection/discussion questions that can be used alone or in a group. Dave's watercolors printed up beautifully in the paperback editions, and if you read these books as on a Kindle phone app, the watercolors are bright and clear on the screen.
My most popular book, Sabbath Keeping, is now available as an audiobook on many platforms, including Audible, as well as paperback and Kindle.
Next week: another scripture that helps me in this journey of grief AND thankfulness. Illustration: Reading (and praying?) in Princess Diana Memorial Garden, Cambridge, England, watercolor by Dave Baab. I love to get new subscribers. Sign up below.
My book on this topic – Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life, now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle.
I wrote a post for the Godspace blog on using our imagination to help us pray: “Thankfulness in Imaginary Worlds.”
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Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is an author and adjunct professor. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christians spiritual practices. Read more »
Lynne is pleased to announce the release of her two 2024 books, both of them illustrated with her talented husband Dave's watercolors. She is thrilled at how good the watercolors look in the printed books, and in the kindle versions, if read on a phone, the watercolors glow. Friendship, Listening and Empathy: A Prayer Guide guides the reader into new ways to pray about the topics in the title. Draw Near: A Lenten Devotional guides the reader to a psalm for each day of Lent and offers insightful reflection/discussion questions that can be used alone or in groups.
Another recent book is Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life, available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. Lynne's 2018 book is Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care for the Twenty-First Century, and her most popular book is Sabbath-Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest (now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle). You can see her many other book titles here, along with her Bible study guides.
You can listen to Lynne talk about these topics: empathy, bringing spiritual practices to life. Sabbath keeping for recent grads., and Sabbath keeping for families and children.
Lynne was interviewed for the podcast "As the Crow Flies". The first episode focuses on why listening matters and the second one on listening skills.
Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry.
"Lynne's writing is beautiful. Her tone has such a note of hope and excitement about growth. It is gentle and affirming."
— a reader
"Dear Dr. Baab, You changed my life. It is only through God’s gift of the sabbath that I feel in my heart and soul that God loves me apart from anything I do."
— a reader of Sabbath Keeping
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