READ: PSALM 116; LUKE 17:11-19; REVELATION 4:6-11

Have you ever considered how much difference the words “thank you” can make? The Samaritan healed of leprosy in Luke 17 seemed to know the power of these words. While on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus met a group of ten men who were social outcasts because of the leprosy that had deformed their bodies. Jesus told the diseased men to show themselves to the priest, and they were healed! After this astonishing miracle, only one of the ten took the time to come back to Jesus and say thank you. Where were the others? Had they already forgotten who healed them? In our lives today, it can be easy to take things for granted, like the nine men did. When our prayers are answered, how often do we retrace our steps like the Samaritan and thank God?

Jesus completely changed the lives of the ten lepers, and He has changed our lives too! By dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and rising from the dead, Jesus has given us the best gift of all: a personal relationship with Him and salvation from sin and death. When we remember this amazing gift, it can move us to thank Jesus for His great love and for all He has given us, just as the healed Samaritan did.

Simply saying “thank you” to God can be a natural way for us to praise Him. In the Bible, a great example of this kind of praise is demonstrated by the psalmists. Psalm 118 begins by declaring, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” The rest of this joyous psalm recounts how God provided for the psalmist’s life. Similarly, in Psalm 116, “death wrapped its ropes around” and “the terrors of the grave overtook” the writer of this psalm, but God saved them (verses 3, 8). So the psalmist glorified God’s name by giving thanks.

Besides exalting God’s name, saying “thank you” can also open our eyes to the beauty around us. The more we thank God, the more we will naturally notice the ways He is at work in our lives. When we stop and take time to appreciate the things around us, our perspective changes to one focused on God’s goodness. • Emma Schoessow

• On the day Jesus returns to resurrect us from the dead, we will be completely healed and whole. Then, we will get to praise and thank Him for all eternity as we live together with Him on the new heavens and new earth! In the meantime, as we see glimpses of His goodness and healing now, we can thank and praise Him each day. Where have you seen God’s goodness and healing in and around you? Consider taking some time to thank God like the psalmists and the Samaritan.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 118:1 (NLT)