Philemon 1:4 (LSB)

Passage

I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

Philemon 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers,

Philemon 1:5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

Philemon 1:6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the full knowledge of every good thing which is in you for the sake of Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thank", "always", "making", "mention", and "prayers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thank" and "always", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Grace to you and peace from God..." into verse 5's "because I hear of your love and...", so "thank" and "always" belong inside that flow. In Philemon context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thank" and "always" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.