²We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; ³constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father …

Thankfulness was a mark of the apostle Paul, who never lost sight that it was “Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service …” (1 Tim. 1:12). And he was equally thankful for the people to whom he ministered. Paul’s gratitude goes much deeper than his own personal blessings. His is a shared, communal thankfulness, such was the depth of his love for the body of Christ, God’s people. And so he (together with Silvanus and Timothy) had a continual heart of gratitude to God for the fruit of their labor as seen in the growing faith, love, and hope evident in the lives of the Thessalonian believers.

He uses the words “always” and “constantly.” His unceasing prayer was characterized by a heart of gratitude. It became the foundation for his conversations with God about them. He writes of “making mention” of them. We take this to mean the major substance of the apostle’s prayer for them was not merely an entreaty concerning the basics of the Christian life. The Thessalonians were doing well in the greatest characteristics every Christian should have: faith, love, and hope (see 1 Cor. 13:13). If Paul was indeed writing from Corinth, the contrast between the believers in those two areas must have been stark.

How does one “constantly” and “always” pray for others? Clearly this could not mean a continuous, conscious dialog with God, which would leave no time for any other kind of prayer, let alone doing the things of God that require mental attention (after all, God has not called us to become monks who do nothing but spiritual exercises). I remember hearing one godly believer going through a list of his fellow believers in the church, often saying, “And Lord, I remember before Your throne, brother … and sister …” before moving on to the next beneficiary of his prayer. If nothing else, simply mentioning people to God is at the core of “bearing in mind” that person “in the presence of our God and Father.” At times, this praying believer would expand with words a specific need, but at other times he would add a simple, “Thank you, Lord, for this brother (or sister).” He was committed to “remembering” people in God’s presence, and often thanking God for them. Lest someone see this as too elemental, what better place to mention someone by name than in God’s very throne room of grace (Heb. 4:16)?

Lord, thank You for those who have remembered me before Your throne.