Paul’s Gratitude toward God in Colossians 1:12-20
In Colossians 1:12-20, Paul says that he is praying for several things for the believers at Colossae. In the context of that prayer, Paul says that his prayer is embellished by his gratitude to God for what He has done for and through Jesus. The following text is a hypothetical prayer, written as if Paul was giving thanks to God according to these verses.
Father, we are grateful to You because You are making us competent to share in the inheritance of those who are holy, in the kingdom of light.
You are the One who rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and have given us our citizenship in the kingdom of the Son of Your love.
Through the death of Your Son, Jesus, we are being released from our failure to be completely righteous.
Your Son, Jesus, is Your Ikon. He is all we need to see in order to know You, the Invisible God. He is the One Who is Born First. He is the beginning of the Eternal Government that is to be created in Him, and because of Him. All Authorities, all Governments, all realms and kingdoms, in Heaven and Earth are subject to Him, and flow from Him. In Him, they all are created and stay in power forever. He is the First Authority, and all Authorities co-exist in Him alone.
Your Son Jesus is the Head of the governing Body, the Church, which consists of all those whom You called to become the administrators of the Universe. Your Son is the beginning, the first One to be fully resurrected and glorified after being dead. He is the Original. He is the most important, He is the key to everything, and He always will be.
For it pleased You to cause Jesus to be forever receiving by the entire fullness of all the praise the Universe has to give. And through Jesus, You are reconciling all the authorities in the Heavens and on the Earth, through the blood of His cross. His death means peace to the Universe forever.
So we are grateful to You, and will always be giving thanks to You for what You have done for and through Jesus, the Son of Your Love.