04/06/2024
Our study this morning is on the subject or Gratitude and Thanksgiving in our prayers, and today’s scripture verse comes from the account of Jesus healing the ten lepers. All were healed but only one came back to thank Him.
“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.”
Luke 17:15-16 KJV
I immediately thought of situations in my life where I was grateful for something and yet did not offer thanks. When this happens it is often referred to as "taking it for granted." This is accepting some act or gift without recognizing the giver openly, and sometimes we even take this to the point of believing that this good act was due us.
As a child my parents would always instruct me to say "Thank you" whenever someone gave me something or did something nice for me. There was no exception, no acceptable reason for not thanking them, but there was one requirement that accompanied this act... You had to be truly grateful. Occasionally I would have to be reminded to properly say thank you, and if I did so in a less than sincere manner I was pulled aside and told how unappreciative I had been. Then, once I had seen the error of my ways, I was sent back to offer those thanks again with one last instruction... "Now say it like you mean it!" In our scripture story this morning there were nine lepers who should have been chided and sent back to Jesus with those same instructions.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
A couple of thoughts struck me as I contemplated gratitude and thanksgiving. The first is that gratitude must be felt before thanks can be offered. If we are not grateful then offering thanksgiving is hollow, insincere, and disingenuous... it is a lie. That is what I would have been doing as a child when my parents pulled me aside and spoke to me regarding why I should be grateful and offer sincere thanks. I remember words like "Your grandmother worked long hours knitting that sweater", or other such instruction. In this example, I might not have received the sweater that I really wanted; in fact I might get beat up for wearing my grandmother’s sweater to school, but the love and effort she put into it was worthy of my thanks, and the teasing or fight on the playground.
The second thought I had was centered on openly showing our gratitude. Without verbally and physically thanking someone they are uncertain that you appreciated their gift or action. If my wife prepares a wonderful meal and I neglect to tell her how good it is, and thank her for the love and effort she put into it, I would probably hurt her feelings, and most likely not get another such meal for a while. She needs to hear my appreciation and gratitude... A few “ummmms” and downing it in record time isn't what she is looking for. She wants to hear me tell her just how good it was and to what degree I enjoyed it. God wants to hear our praise and thanks as well. He wants us to express just how much we appreciated the gifts or blessings He gives us.
I begin each of my prayers with thanksgiving. I thank God for all of His blessings, provisions, protections, and answered prayers since we last spoke.... Even if that was just a few minutes prior. You see, God is constantly providing for us and just as my wife wants to hear me acknowledge her efforts of love, my God wants to hear me acknowledge His.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Psalm 100:4-5 ESV
Sometimes I have caught myself offering my thank you with less than a sincere heart. When that happens I apologize, concentrate on my gratitude and begin again. God deserves to hear from our hearts; he needs us to be sincere in our thanksgiving. If you can't be sincere then don't offer it... after all it is a lie. He knows our heart and will also see our insincerity.
“would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.”
Psalm 44:21 ESV
In times like that, when you are having trouble thanking God, then speak with Him and tell Him what is on your mind. Resolve the conflict, let Him show you that He loves you and has not abandoned you. If it is a worldly trouble, ask Him to help you solve it... After all, in as much as He appreciates your worship, praise, and thanksgiving, He loves you more and knows when those things are truly heartfelt.
“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10:10 ESV
So gratitude and thanksgiving are important; they are important as they relate to those around us, and definitely to our God. E.M. Bounds ended his devotional this morning by saying that thanksgiving
"is giving something to God in words that we feel in our heart for blessings received." – E.M. Bounds
Let’s not fall into the trap of taking God for granted. Before we pray let’s think about those things that God has provided, and the areas of our lives in which He is at work. Then let’s try to show Him our gratitude by beginning our prayers with thanksgiving on our lips.
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for your Son Jesus who gave his life to redeem us of our sin, and for your Holy Spirit who prays for us when our own words fail us. Help us Lord Father to love you as we should, and increase our heartfelt sincerity as we pray in thanksgiving. You are merciful Abba, and bless us every day with your presence and grace in our lives. You are full of grace Lord, and offer us redemption despite our undeserving nature. All you ask of us is for us to love you with all our heart, soul, and mind, and yet we make you wait, and we are so involved in the doings of the world, which feed our pride, and stroke our ego, that we become reluctant to place you and your will before our own. Help us now to turn towards you, and to thank you for every blessing and good thing you have given us as we walk towards you. And teach us to accept you as our treasure, for it is said that where our treasure is there our heart is also. Hear the sincerity in our thanksgiving prayers Heavenly Father, and know that we love you as we should. You are our true treasure Abba, and it is where you are that our hearts are also. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who pours your eternal love over us like a warm and fragrant oil as you show us your mercy, and grace; not for our efforts that are spent in loving you, but out of your undying love for us as we simply come to believe. We thank you for sending your Son Jesus to live, die, and to be resurrected for us, but we are most grateful, and thank you most of all, for covering us with His blood, and seeing only His perfection, righteousness, and holiness, when judging our worthiness to spend eternity with you. Hear us today Lord God as we bear our hearts and pray soulful prayers of thanksgiving to you. Hear us shout “Praise The Lord!”, as we continue to cry out “Hallelujah!”, “Hallelujah!”, and again “Hallelujah!”, for you are wonderful, even as your will is done. And our Lord Jesus who has been, and is, and will always be… is our eternal Amen.
For this we give you thanks Father, and pray in the name of Jesus as we call out to all of heaven and earth… “So be it!” in conclusion to our prayer… “Amen! Amen! Amen!” Great is our Father God.
““but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.””
Matthew 6:20-21 ESV
Rich Forbes