When my grandmother was in her twenties, she became very ill. Nothing she or the doctors tried healed her. She believed there was a God but didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. One day a co-worker told her to visit a house church nearby and ask the people to pray for her. In her desperation, my grandmother decided to go. And after the prayer time, she was healed! This miracle changed her life. Since then, she’s been thanking Jesus daily for healing her body and her soul.
My grandmother’s experience reminds me of the ten men with leprosy Jesus passed by on His way to Jerusalem. They were surely desperate (Luke 17:12). A person who had leprosy in that day was considered unclean, both physically and spiritually, and was supposed to live secluded—outside the city (Leviticus 13:45-46). When the ten men saw Jesus from afar, they recognized His spiritual authority and begged Him to show them mercy.
When Jesus heard their plea, He told them to go and show themselves to the priests, following the Levitical law (Luke 17:14; Leviticus 14:2-6). They obeyed, and on the way they were healed! Only one returned to show his gratitude toward Jesus, however. He didn’t take God’s mercy for granted and found time to thank Jesus to show his appreciation (Luke 17:15-16).
The leper who showed gratitude experienced the restorative work of God’s kingdom through Jesus. He was commended for his faith and received God’s grace, a further healing of his soul (Luke 17:19).
Even when we don’t get physical healing or the answers we desire, may we also welcome Jesus to reign in our hearts and always find reasons to thank Him for what He’s done and is doing. He’s always worthy of our gratitude.