Daily Verse
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Gratitude and Thanksgiving
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Tuesday's Reflection
Luke 17:15-16 — 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.
Ten lepers stood at a distance from Jesus and called out for mercy. They were not allowed to come close — leprosy was both a disease and a form of social death. They had been separated from their families, their communities, their livelihoods, everything that made a life. They called out, and Jesus heard them and told them to go show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were healed. All ten of them. The same miracle, at the same moment, for all ten.
Nine of them kept walking. One turned around. He came back at a run, shouting his praise, and threw himself at Jesus' feet. Jesus looked up and asked the question that still hangs in the air two thousand years later: were there not ten? Where are the other nine? The one who came back was a Samaritan — a double outsider, someone with every cultural reason to feel that he was not fully included in the blessing. And yet he was the one who returned.
Jesus told him: your faith has made you well. The Greek word is sozo — it means salvation, wholeness, complete restoration. The other nine received physical healing. This one received something deeper. The difference was the return. The difference was the thankfulness. This is not a small distinction. It suggests that gratitude is not just a polite response to receiving something good. It is a movement of the soul toward the Giver, a recognition of where good things come from, an act of faith that deepens what has already been given. The nine walked away healed. One walked away whole.
Prayer: Lord, make us the one who turns back. When You answer our prayers and meet our needs, keep us from walking on without pausing to give thanks. May gratitude be our first response, not our afterthought. Amen.