"And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said to them, Go show yourselves' to the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And He said to him, Arise, go your way: your faith has made you whole"
St. Luke 17: 11-19
It is so easy for us to come and ask God for things, but how often do we just come to Him and say, "LORD, I just want to give you thanks and praise for what You have already done. I'm not coming to ask You for anything, but I want to offer you praise for what you have already given to me and the prayers You have already answered." It's a good thing when we approach the LORD in prayer to first come to Him with thanksgiving.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endures to all generations"
Psalm 100: 4-5
The story of the ten lepers in the book of Luke is a wonderful illustration of how we should offer thanks to God when He does so many great things in our life. "There were ten cleansed but where are the other nine", Jesus asked as only one stranger returned to give thanks. How often do we forget to just give thanks for all that has already been given to us? Has our prayers just become about asking for things and never giving thanks? How would we be accepted by our friends and loved ones if all we did was asked for things and never showed appreciation for what we were already given? If you were given a gift by someone do you remember to say, 'thank you" or do you approach them and ask, 'what are you going to give me next?' How much greater should we show gratitude to Jesus for all the things He has already done for us.
The LORD is so good and merciful to us and it puts a smile on His face to give us the desires of our heart. But, like any good parent would, He delights when we come to Him in thanksgiving and with a heart of gratitude.
