Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

First Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 2, we give thanks to God always for all of you,

constantly mentioning you in our prayers. What a great start to this letter. And I want to think

about how this relates to the way you and I pray. So Paul starts, introduces himself at the beginning

of the letter Paul, Sylvainus and Timothy, writing this letter to the Church of the Thessalonians,

grace to you in peace. And then he says, we give thanks to God always for all of you. He's continually

giving thanks to God for these people. Just picture what that looks like. Paul thinking about these

people a lot and constantly thanking God for them. God, thank you for this person. God, thank you

for that person. God, thank you for that church, the church of the Thessalonians. I'm so thankful

for them. And then he says constantly mentioning you in our prayers. So he's not just thanking God for

them continually, always is the word he uses, but then he says, I'm constantly mentioning you in our

prayers. So again, just picture Paul's prayer life. He's constantly talking to God about the

Thessalonians. And I just want to encourage you to think who are you praying like this for?

Who in your prayer life are you always thanking God for? Just thanking God over and over and over

again. Obviously, we can't thank God enough. We think about what Paul's written other places,

Galatians 2, abounding in Thanksgiving, but specifically abounding in Thanksgiving for other people.

So thanking God always for certain people, for specific people in our lives, in the world,

in the church, and constantly mentioning them to God. There should be people in our lives that we

are constantly mentioning to God and that we are always thanking God for based on this pattern of

prayer in Thessalonians chapter one, verse two. And so I just want to encourage you to think today

who do you want to thank God for specifically today in ways that lead to thanking God a lot

for those people? And then who do you constantly mention in your prayers? And is there anybody

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