And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. – Luke 17:15
Several years ago, my wife and I received a letter from a family in Romania. I had never been to Romania, but it was a kind, well-written letter thanking us for sending their family some money in a time of real financial struggle. They even sent a picture with the letter, and it was nice to receive the note of thanks. The only problem was that we did not know them and we had never sent them any money! We were happy for them, but they were mistaken as to the identity of the people who had sent the gift.
There is no mistaking, however, who deserves the thanks when God does something for an individual. Our focus verse comes from a passage in the Bible which describes the healing of ten lepers. The Bible tells us that Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem and the ten lepers were outside of Samaria, so it appears that Jesus went out of His way to meet the lepers. No doubt He had those ten in mind as He went that way. He knew their need, He knew that they wanted to be healed, and He made a special effort to be in a place where they might receive that blessing.
Sadly, of the ten who were healed, only one had it in his heart to return and thank the Lord. The one who glorified God had a deep appreciation in his heart for what Jesus had done. He recognized that what he had received from Jesus was more than just a healing touch. The Bible says that when he went back, he “fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks.”
We can learn from the one leper who went back. Just as Jesus went out of His way to meet the ten lepers, we know that any blessing we receive from God also takes a special effort on His part. The Lord is the great Orchestrator of events. He places people into specific places of opportunity where they can receive the touch they need. For that we owe Him thanks!
In our daily devotions, at church services, and during the prayer meetings afterwards, we can sit at Jesus’ feet and thank Him for what He has done for us. And if we cultivate that attitude of praise and thanksgiving, we will find it much easier to serve the Lord day in and day out. Regardless of our circumstances, thanksgiving will burst from our hearts.
We can always have a heart of gratitude just like the one leper did. May we determine to turn to the Lord every day to glorify Him and to thank Him for what He has done.