I ignored the doorbell, expecting “whoever” to go away. In our cul-de-sac, a knock on the door is almost always an activist with a petition, a window replacement evangelist, or a tree service eager to get at ours. This time, however, the pounding persisted, followed by the unsettling sound of one determinedly trying to open our latched front door. My irritation turned to fear, but when the noise stopped, I looked out the window and saw a familiar face. It was the father of an international student we had befriended in our weekly Bible study. The student had been struggling, and his dad had come from China to help him get his life back on track. During his weeks-long stay, he had attended our Friday night study with his son, and though he spoke no English, we had developed a silent, respectful acquaintance. I now went out to greet the man.
He had borrowed a bicycle and ridden it nine miles from the campus area to our house for a singular purpose: into my hand, he pressed a note, his thoughts anonymously translated into English; he had come to thank us for investing ourselves into his son’s life. We exchanged nonverbal expressions of affirmation and gratitude, after which he turned his bike around and peddled nine miles back to his son’s apartment. All of this to say thank you. I could not have been more humbled.
Luke tells the story of ten men with leprosy, all loudly calling out to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”1 Jesus commanded them to show themselves to the priests, “and as they went, they were cleansed.”2 Yet of the ten who had by prayer and petition presented their requests to God3, only one—a Samaritan—returned with thanksgiving, an active expression of faith. “Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”4
People are not built to be the endpoint of praise, rather conduits through which praise and thanksgiving flow to its rightful place, the throne of God. The psalmist rightly exclaimed, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”5 So no matter how God works in and through our lives—whether giving or receiving—ours is to direct our gratitude to the One to whom it is due. In faith, give thanks.
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 ESV
“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”6 Amen.
1 Luke 17:13 NIV
2 Luke 17:14 NIV
3 Philippians 4:6 NIV
4 Luke 17:17-19 NIV
5, 6 Psalm 115:1 ESV
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Paul Nordman—Author 