One day Jesus healed ten men of leprosy. This was a disease which had no known cure at the time, and it caused the people suffering from it to be excluded from society. Amazingly, only one of the men Jesus healed remembered to come back and thank Him. So why didn’t the other nine return? Were they too busy to be thankful? They must have felt grateful, yet they didn’t take time express it. Did they just get caught up in other things and forget? Were they too cautious to be thankful? Maybe they thought their healing wouldn’t last, so they wanted to give it time before announcing it. Or maybe they were concerned that Jesus wanted something in return that they would be either unwilling or unable to give. Were they too self-centered to be thankful? In some ways, the sick life was simpler. Now they had to take responsibility, get a job, and play a role in society. Were they too arrogant to be thankful? Maybe they thought that given enough time, they would have recovered by themselves. Plus, to be grateful meant they had to admit that they had needed help. It can be hard to show weakness and vulnerability in a world where it’s all about independence and strength. We might think that we wouldn’t let those reasons stop us from being thankful, but how many times has God answered our prayers and we haven’t gone back to Him in gratitude? In Psalm 136, the psalmist declares: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever’ (v.1 NIV). Even when we feel like we’ve got nothing to be thankful for, we can always thank God that He’s good and loving. We shouldn’t let a day pass without remembering God’s goodness to us and thanking Him for it.

What Now?

Are there any answered prayers that you’ve forgotten to thank God for? Take a few minutes to spend with God and thank Him for what He has done.