As children, our parents instill in us the value of saying ‘thank you’ after being given something. But what if that simple act wasn’t mindlessly practiced out of habit, but out of a genuine heart of gratitude? What if thankfulness weren’t something we dedicate one day a year to, but something that we integrate into our daily lives?
As we approach this season of Thanksgiving, our goal should be to find a way to give thanks — to the Lord directly — on a weekly, daily, or even hourly basis.
In Luke 17, we read the story of ten men who stood at a distance, crying out to Jesus for healing. They were lepers — outcasts, forgotten, and living on the margins of society. Moved with compassion, Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests, and as they went, they were healed. But the story doesn’t end there. Nine went on their way, but one turned back with a spirit of thanksgiving and fell at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “Were not all 10 cleansed? Where are the other nine? Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”
This story is more than a miracle; it’s a mirror. It shows us how easy it is to receive blessings and keep walking, and how rare it is to turn back and say “thank you.” The difference between the nine and the one wasn’t in what they received; it was in how they responded. All 10 men were healed, but only one was made whole. The thankful leper didn’t just get his skin cleansed; he got his soul restored.
Thanksgiving should not just be something trendy we focus on once a year at the dinner table. It must become a posture that determines how we live each day. A thankful heart keeps the miracle alive. It says, “God, I remember where I was when You found me. I haven’t forgotten what You did.”
We live in a culture that moves quickly from blessing to blessing. We pray for open doors, for healing, or for provision. Yet, when it comes, we rush on to the next thing. But somewhere between the miracle and the next need, God is waiting for us to turn back. Gratitude slows us down long enough to recognize that everything we have is grace.
This season, we can give genuine thanks to God by turning back. By making space in our hearts for remembrance and choosing worship over worry and humble gratitude over grumbling.
When we turn back, something shifts. Gratitude doesn’t change our circumstances, but it changes us. It takes us from merely receiving gifts to intimately knowing the Giver of every good and perfect thing.
There’s power in a thankful heart. When we thank our heavenly provider, we open the door to even more, and the supernatural power of God can flow into our homes, our families, and our lives. The leper’s story shows us that thanksgiving multiplies miracles. Healing came through obedience, but wholeness came through gratitude.
Maybe this year you’re not standing in abundance, but in the in-between of asking in faith, and awaiting God’s provision. Maybe you’re praying for the same miracle again and again, waiting for an answer that hasn’t come. Even here, you can turn back. Gratitude isn’t reserved for people whose lives are perfect; it’s for those who believe that even in pain, God is still good, that He is enough.
This Thanksgiving, whether you stand in abundance or in waiting, turn back to God. Fall at His feet with gratitude for what He’s done, and faith for what He has yet to do. Because the miracle of turning back isn’t just what happens when we thank Him, it’s who we become because of it.
The leper was healed on the road, but he was made whole in the presence of Jesus. Gratitude brought him back there, and it will bring us back, too.
Pastor Jentezen Franklin is the senior pastor of Free Chapel, a multi-campus church, and the founder of Jentezen Franklin Media Ministries. Each week, his television program, Kingdom Connection, is broadcast on major networks all over the world. He is also a New York Times best-selling author of several books.
