The 2011 movie The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg, was based on the popular European cartoon by Georges Remi (Hergé). Early in the movie, we are introduced to Captain Haddock, voiced by Andy Serkis, the pitiable captain whose crew has turned against him. His crew has locked him in a room aboard his own ship, and the only thing he has in order to console himself in his misery are bottles and bottles of beer.
So, he’s drinking bottle after bottle, sulking and depressed. Captain Haddock was already something of a drunk, and it’s getting worse. In this moment in the movie, the hero of the story, Tintin, the adventurous young reporter, has come aboard the ship. He’s trying to solve a mystery. And suddenly Tintin crashes through the window and into the room where the captain is drinking.
They talk a little. The captain tells Tintin all about his troubles. And eventually, Tintin gets tired of the conversation. It’s going nowhere. The captain is just moping around and complaining, and Tintin finally says, “I have to keep moving.”
Tintin goes to the door, grabs the door handle, twists, the door opens, and he walks out. To which the captain says, “Oh, well, I assumed it was locked.”
The captain was so busy moping that he hadn’t considered there might be a way out of the mess he was in.
Something as small as a door handle can have surprising power.
“Something as small as a door handle can have surprising power.”
In Ephesians 5, we read about some dark forces. By the way, the Bible is soberly realistic about the depths of human darkness. And reading about the dark things could seem like an invitation to sit there and mope. But in Ephesians 5, we see that, although there are dark things happening, we have way more reason to hope than to mope.
Why? In Ephesians 5, we’re going to see a prayer we can pray that, like the door handle, offers us surprising power in the face of darkness.
Delving into the Darkness
Before we get to the simple prayer that offers surprising power over the darkness, let’s delve into the darkness. Got your flashlights? You’re going to need them, because it gets pretty dark down here.
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV)
Why should Christians stay holy (“set apart”) from these ways of darkness? Here’s why, as Paul continues:
“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.” (Ephesians 5:5-7, NIV)
According to Ephesians 5:5-7, here’s why we’ve got to pursue holiness:
- Sexually immoral, impure, and greedy lifestyles put you outside God’s kingdom.
- Sexually immoral, impure, and greedy lifestyles put you under God’s wrath.
If you continually, habitually follow those lifestyles without repenting, then you will find yourself two places you don’t want to be: outside of God’s kingdom and under God’s wrath.
“If we continually, habitually follow those lifestyles without repenting, then we will find ourselves two places we don’t want to be: outside of God’s kingdom and under God’s wrath.”
That’s a dark place. And here’s another dark thought: That’s where most of our world is. As Paul summarizes in verse 16, “The days are evil.”
Some days we think about the violence, sexual immorality, greed—all things that modern Western culture is known for either in lifestyle or entertainment—and it’s easy to become discouraged. It makes us want to sit there and mope. Moping is kind of our go-to activity when we hear about darkness. And sitting in the darkness gives the darkness that much more power over our imagination and choices.
The Power of Thanksgiving
But in case you missed it, these verses also gave us a small but surprisingly powerful “doorknob” that opens us to hoping instead of moping. We find it in verse 4, and it’s just one word. And, honestly, it feels like a nice, friendly, dapper word in the midst of a list of dangerous sins. It’s kind of like you’ve got Mr. T in Rocky 3, Ivan Drago in Rocky 4, and, let’s say, Mike Tyson, all together versus Mr. Rogers. See if you can tell which are the dangerous words and which word is like Mr. Rogers:
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:3-4, NIV)
Did you see the Mr. Rogers word in the midst of the Mr T’s and Mike Tysons? What was the nice, happy, friendly word? Thanksgiving. Giving thanks. Saying “thank you” to God. That’s what’s pitted against some of the most dangerous sins?
The truth is, telling God thank you is a surprisingly powerful and liberating “doorknob” that makes the darkness nervous. Why? Thanking God liberates us from moping in the darkness by shifting our focus from the darkness to the light. This shift is called “thanksgiving” or “gratitude.”
Do you realize that if you say “thank you” to God and mean it, in that moment, sin loses a ton of power over you?
“Do you realize that if you say “thank you” to God and mean it, in that moment, sin loses a ton of power over you?”
All those sins Paul mentioned before are rooted in wanting what can’t satisfy you: sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and obscenity/foolish talk/coarse joking. If you look to God and think about all that he has given you, and you express gratitude for his gifts, then all those other things that can’t satisfy you lose a lot of power over you.
Prayers of “thank you” to God have surprising power to liberate. If you’re thankful for what God has given you, then you don’t need a bunch of trash to fill you up. If you’re thankful for what he’s provided, you don’t need to be greedy. If you’re thankful for the spouse God has given you, then you don’t need to go searching for romance in an affair or for thrills in pornography.
There is a surprising power in prayers of “thank you” to God. So, why don’t you take a moment today (and tomorrow, and the next day) and list what you’re thankful for as prayers to God. Walk in the freedom of shedding more and more of sin’s power to entice you.
