Return to Glorify God
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed,
returned, 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)
Passing
through Samaria, Jesus met ten lepers who were outcasts of society. With faith,
they cried out for Jesus’ healing power and were miraculously cured after they
heeded Jesus’ instruction to show themselves to the priests. Yet, except for
one, nine of the healed lepers walked away, never to see or speak to Jesus
again.
These
nine healed lepers failed to recognize that, despite the social rift between
the Jews and Samaritans, Jesus had compassionately chosen to heal them. Though they had faith to cry out and act upon
Jesus’ instruction, their faith had not matured to the point of gratitude—to be
moved by Jesus’ love and to glorify God with a thanksgiving heart.
When
trials come our way, we too cry out to God with faith. But when God’s mercy
turns our sorrow to joy as it did for the healed lepers, we may also
unwittingly forget the One who healed us or carried us through our
hardships. We simply carry on with our
lives, and sadly do not thank and glorify Jesus for His help.
Our
strength in faith is not only shown when we turn to God for help, but it is
demonstrated when we can return to God and thank Him for guiding us through our
trials. It is just like the single healed leper who not only cried out to Jesus
with faith, but returned to glorify Jesus when he was healed.
From
living a painful life as an outcast in society, the healed leper could now live
a blessed life. Jesus gave him a renewed sense of living—to live for Jesus as a
testament to His saving grace. How could
he not but return to thank Him? Similarly, if we know how to turn to Jesus for
help during our trials, we must return to thank Him for His loving compassion
when our trials have passed, and live a life to glorify God.
Questions for Reflection
1. When
God saves or helps us in troubled times, do we return to thank and glorify Him?
2. Do
we tend to think that our faith is strong just because we turn to God for help?
How does He want our faith to mature?