Grateful Challenge

Luke 17:11-19

11 And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And He said unto him,  Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

The lepers that called out to Jesus to be healed were ten in number. Ten lepers standing in the same situation. They all needed a touch from Jesus. They all needed to be healed. Leprosy is a terrible disease. It causes great pain, isolation, dismemberment, and dis-figuration. The lepers were not allowed to be among the general population. They were forbidden to live among their family and friends, and forced to live in leper colonies. These ten lepers wanted to be normal again. They knew that Jesus could heal them. They wanted to be free from what held them bound. They went to the right person!

The Bible tells us that they cried for mercy. Jesus saw them and told them to go show themselves to the priests. At that moment they did not look healed. They did not feel healed. They still had leprosy when He told them what to do. These men activated their faith and obeyed Jesus. It says that as they went, they were cleansed. So imagine in your mind, these ten lepers hear the voice of Jesus and perhaps they thought the cleansing would take place in front of the priests. They put one foot in front of another and the leprosy starts clearing up. The scars remain. It is still obvious they once had leprosy but the leprosy is gone. The missing body parts, maybe a finger, or an ear, are still missing, but the leprosy is gone. One man gets so excited that he runs back to the feet of Jesus, humbled himself, and praised God for the cleansing.

All ten lepers must have been happy they were cleansed. Have you ever prayed for something and it happened, God gave you what you asked Him for, and then you are so happy that it worked out, you forget to say thank you? Nine of these lepers hurried to the priest to show they were cleansed, but one man could not continue with them. One man had to stop and say thank you. One man had to let Jesus know how grateful he was. When the one man came back, Jesus asked where the other nine were. He knew where they were. He was making a point. The majority of people want something from Him and when He is gracious to give it to them, they do not even remember to thank Him for it. This one man, a Samaritan, which we know from the Bible that they had no dealings with the Jews, like Jesus, came to His feet and bowed down in humility, worshiping God for the cleansing. Jesus tells him that his faith has made him whole. This man laid down at the feet of Jesus cleansed from leprosy but still carrying the scars and wounds. He got up completely whole as though he never had the disease at all.

How often do we just spend time in the presence of Jesus? I was at a prayer service three weeks ago. We gathered in the house of the Lord to pray and petition God for the things we need and desired. I just could not bring myself to ask Him for anything. My heart was so full of gratitude for all the things He had been doing in my life. Sure, I still had plenty of things to pray about. I just knew He was taking care of it all. Instead of asking God for anything, which He wants us to do, I could only praise Him and thank Him for the love, mercy, grace, redemption, provision, protection, kindness, joy, peace, and more that He had lavishly poured over me. I just got swept up in His presence as I began to thank Him with tears running down my face, because I just wanted more of Him in that moment. I did not want His hands, I desired to see His face. I wanted to be lost in His presence. I just began to thank Him and praise Him for all that He did for me and I did not have a request on my lips but to simply be with Him.

Isn't it nice when someone invites you to spend some time with them? They don't want anything from you. They don't want to ask you for a favor. They sincerely want to spend time with you. They want to hear how you are doing. They want to know what you have been up to. They just want to talk with you and have fellowship. No agenda. No list of requests. No jobs lined up for you to do. Simply to be in your presence, spending time with you. It's a beautiful thing. I recently went to Indiana and had lunch with friends there. They truly wanted to know how I was and I was excited to hear about them. It was a fun lunch with nothing more than spending time together. I know God enjoys when we carve out part of our day to spend in His presence. He longs to hear us thank Him for all the things He has done.

I thank God for keeping His hand of protection on my children at school and on the bus. I thank God for giving me a wonderful family. I thank God for protecting us as we are in the vehicle, to keep us from danger and avoiding accidents. I thank God for keeping us safe and providing our needs. I thank Him for exhaling so I can inhale. I thank Him for waking me up this morning. I thank Him for being my friend. I thank God for sending His Son Jesus to die on an old rugged cross to pay the penalty for my sins. I thank God for eternal life. I thank God for mercy and grace. I thank God for meeting my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I thank God that He always causes me to triumph. I thank God that He goes before me and makes my way straight. There is so much to thank God for. I could never thank Him enough. Even now He is working all things together for my good. Each morning His mercies are new. He daily loads us with benefits.

Our pastor challenged us on Tuesday night to go one week and not ask God for one thing! She said we were to spend thirty minutes in the morning just praising God, thanking God, worshiping God, and telling Him how much we love Him. She said do the same thing just before bed. All throughout the day just thank Him for what He is doing and what He has done, and what He is going to do. For one week she would go to God on our behalf, with the things God is placing in her heart to pray about for us. She is close to God. She is seeking God daily, and throughout the day His praise is continually on her lips.

This challenge is harder than it may sound. Wednesday morning I awoke to my son getting sick in the bathroom. I immediately went to Jesus and prayed for Him to touch my son. Then I remembered the challenge! I had to ask forgiveness and say I am sorry Lord. Thank You for touching Javan. Thank You for healing his body. Thank You for taking away this sickness because I know it is not Your will for him to be sick. Jesus began to heal Javan and by that afternoon he was completely well. 

It is not wrong to ask God for things. We must go to God in prayer for our needs. But this challenge is to position us in a place of praise. We are to condition our minds to be thankful for the blessings we have each day. It is harder for me because I go to God in prayer about everything. If I am going shopping, I pray He helps me be a wise steward of my money, find bargains and deals, and that He would give me self-control to not over spend. I pray a blessing over my children before they go to school. We say grace before our meals. If something happens, someone is sick or hurt, someone feels anxious or nervous, or we are unsure what to do, we pray about it. We go to God about everything. I do not want to leave Him out of any decision I make. But this challenge is to focus on just praising Him and thanking Him for all He has done in our lives. He has shown up in a big way over and over again. He has never failed me and He never will.

I challenge you to spend 24 hours just thanking Him for all the things He has done for you. Praise Him for who He is. He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He is Jehovah Shalom, our peace. He is Jehovah Rapha, our healer. He is a way maker. He is a chain breaker. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the light of the world. He is the bread of life. He is our Heavenly Father. He is our Savior. He is our Redeemer. He is our soon coming King. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He will never leave us or forsake us but go with us to the end of the world. He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the potter and we are the clay. Then start worshiping Him. Sing to Him. Humble yourself in adoration before our God. Tell Him how much you love Him. Tell Him that you adore Him and there is none like Him. As things come up throughout the day, instead of asking God for something, just thank Him in advance for what He is doing. Thank Him because you know He has already done it before and He will do it again. He is the God that does not change. He is the God that cannot fail.

Let me know if you take this challenge. It will change your relationship with Him. You will grow closer to Him. If your personality is one that is quick to complain, you will soon see that you won't look at things the same. There is less to grumble about when you start looking at all the things God has done for you. A heart of gratitude will change your attitude. I know it has changed me and the week is not even half gone yet. 

I pray that something I shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens