When the apostle Paul finally leaves behind his personal remarks and begins to give instruction to Timothy with respect to right conduct in the church of the living God he starts with the priority of prayer.

First Timothy 2:1 says, First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

Though the nuances of all four nouns describing prayer differ, he probably means to call the church to a wide variety of expressions of this discipline along with a vast amount of it (note the plural form of all four nouns).

Even so the distinction between the last noun from the first three should not be missed. Along with our supplications, prayers, and intercessions – all aimed at asking God for things – we should take care to include the discipline of thanking Him for what He has already given to us in answer to prayer and of the goodness of His being.

John Calvin called this the strong affinity between petition and thanksgiving.

But though prayer is properly confined to vows and supplications, yet so strong is the affinity between petition and thanksgiving, that both may be conveniently comprehended under one name. For the forms which Paul enumerates (1 Tim. 2:1) fall under the first member of this division. By prayer and supplication we pour out our desires before God, asking as well those things which tend to promote his glory and display his name, as the benefits which contribute to our advantage. By thanksgiving we duly celebrate his kindnesses toward us, ascribing to his liberality every blessing which enters into our lot. David accordingly includes both in one sentence, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me,” (Ps. 50:15). Scripture, not without reason, commands us to use both continually. We have already described the greatness of our want, while experience itself proclaims the straits which press us on every side to be so numerous and so great, that all have sufficient ground to send forth sighs and groans to God without intermission, and suppliantly implore him. For even should they be exempt from adversity, still the holiest ought to be stimulated first by their sins, and, secondly, by the innumerable assaults of temptation, to long for a remedy. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving can never be interrupted without guilt, since God never ceases to load us with favour upon favour, so as to force us to gratitude, however slow and sluggish we may be. In short, so great and widely diffused are the riches of his liberality towards us, so marvellous and wondrous the miracles which we behold on every side, that we never can want a subject and materials for praise and thanksgiving (Institutes, Book 3, chapter 20, paragraph 28).

On this Thanksgiving Day of 2009 may we remember this affinity and make certain to retain it throughout the other 364 days of the year.

Twice today I heard the dreaded “C” word. Someone I talked to lost his relatively young brother to pancreatic cancer a few days ago. Someone else recently got a diagnosis of a rare form of the disease. Her tumors inside are growing like crazy. I always say the same thing. Stupid disease.

How excited can you get about the Thanksgiving holiday when it seems that everywhere you turn you learn someone has cancer? Or maybe some other trial for that  matter? Where does praise come from when the circumstances of life do little to nothing to promote the giving of thanks?

I turn to Ephesians 1:3-14. There Paul expresses his own praise for certain entirely compelling, never changing, stunningly beautiful spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he says, for these things.

What things? I’m glad you asked. It may be that you are dealing with circumstances right now not particularly conducive to thanksgiving and you need a praise booster of sorts. If you are in Christ, then these things are true of you and provide consistent fodder for praise no matter what you face in your every day circumstances.

Election – He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. You can give thanks to God that before time began He set His affection on you and chose you to belong to His covenant people (v. 4).

Sanctification – He chose us that we might be holy and blameless before Him (v. 4). He who began a good work in us will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6).

Adoption – He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will (v. 5). We’ve been made children of God with all the rights and privileges that belong to His family. Behold, what manner of love that we should be called the children of God and such we are (1 John 3:1).

Redemption/Justification – He bought us out of the slave market of sin and changed our legal status such that we are forgiven for all our sins and have the righteousness of Christ now imputed to our account (v. 7).

Glorification – He sealed us with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. So certain is this blessing that when Rom. 8:30 says, those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those who he justified he also glorified, Paul uses the perfect tense for glorified, indicating that tough it is a future reality yet to be experienced it is a done deal! Our glorification as believers is as good as done even while we wait for the promise to be fulfilled.

No wonder Paul concludes in Eph. 1:14 that all these things compound to the praise of his glory.

So I say to you, whether you have heard the “C” word today or some other blast of bad news, give thanks. These truths of your position and state in Christ Jesus never change, never fail. They are worthy of our daily and undying praise and thanksgiving.