Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
He was isolated from the healthy population—his leprosy had sentenced him there—and to some degree, a social outcast, a Samaritan living somewhere along the border between Samaria and Galilee. So, as Jesus entered his village, none of the locals, and least of all this man, could have predicted his imminent moment of fame, forever after scrivened into the annuls of Scripture. What was his heroic feat? Simply this: he said, “Thank you.” Though Jesus healed ten lepers that day, only he, anonymous to us for now, returned to his Healer, teeming with gratitude. “He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”1
Sometimes we confuse excitement with gratitude, but they are not the same. We can gush over a gift received, for instance, yet undervalue the heart of the one who lovingly gave it. Such was the case with the nine other lepers healed that day, as Jesus noted, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”2 Therein lies the crux of the matter: thankfulness honors the heart of giver; it appreciates the person behind the gift. So, in this season of Thanksgiving, take time to consider and laud the heart of God in all circumstances.
Thank Him for His limitless love and faithfulness. “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”3
Thank Him for His attentive mercy and protection. “Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”4
Thank Him in good times. “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.”5
Thank Him even in a fallen world. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”6
Father, You are good to me. Attune my heart in gratitude to You. Hear me now, and receive my thanks . . . In Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Luke 17:16
2 Luke 17:17-18
3 Psalm 108:3-4
4 Psalm 18:6-7
5 Psalm 111:1-2
6 Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV
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Paul Nordman—Author 