Luke 17: 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, He reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As He entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what He had done. This man was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.
They were sick and clamoring for Jesus' attention. They knew He healed the sick. He saw them and responded. He told them to go show themselves to the priests. They were healed as they went.
They did what He said to do (they responded in faith) and He healed them. So often that is how it is with us. He asks us to go, and as we go, we are healed. We want the instant healing but it is often in the process true healing occurs. Somewhere along the way, we notice that we are more whole. He has done work in us.
So these men, happy and excited, went on their merry ways, back into the lives they could only dream of when they were sick. They had what they wanted. The One responsible was quickly forgotten.
All of them except for one that is. One man came back and fell at the feet of Jesus. This man, the most unexpected one at that, wanted to thank Jesus. He wanted to worship Him. Jesus marveled at this. He spoke a blessing over him and sent him off once again.
How guilty are we, of taking for granted the amazing things God does for us, day in and day out. Even in the midst of the things that are difficult and challenging there are things we can be thankful for. Where is our focus? On the blessings in our lives or on our problems, our pain?
Not to say that we can't bring our heartaches to Him. I just read Psalm 55 which is full of David's fear and anguish. Yet he lands at the end of the Psalm with, "But as for me, I trust in You." He constantly brought his focus back to God. He knew where his hope was, his help, his salvation.
Our lives should be characterized by a rhythm of calling out to God, of being sent out but also returning to Him. This is called relationship. We have the incredible privilege of being invited into a relationship with Jesus Christ, with God. He sees us from afar and speaks to us. He heals us. He keeps His hand on us, even when we don't see it. Our part is respond to Him. To go out, to walk in faith, yet come back to worship Him and to give Him thanks. It is in this rhythm of life with/in Him, that He brings healing to our lives, body, soul, and spirit.
Lord, I am thankful for your many blessings. It is so easy to take things for granted, to ignore the fact that every breath I take is a gift. Forgive me that I am often full of a kind of passive ingratitude. I can get so consumed with the things I don't have, things that aren't right. Help me to patient. Help me to look around and see Your finger prints all around me as I trust in your goodness, your faithfulness, your provision, and your love.
