I flipped another page of my Bible, the thin paper crinkling. I frowned in concentration.
I thought this would be simple.
Surely, I could find examples of people giving thanks in the Bible.
To my surprise, I wasn’t finding many.
Locating ‘Thank You’
When we read the Bible, we encounter stories of God’s amazing acts of wonder, miracles, and His mighty power. Stories like:
- Noah stepping off the ark with only his family and a multitude of animals, survivors after an epic flood (Gn 8:15–19).
- God’s people walking on dry ground to freedom after the Red Sea was divided (Ex 14:21–22).
- Mary, quaking in the presence of an angel, told she’d carry the Messiah in her virgin womb (Lk 2:30–38).
We see the reactions of people in Scripture. Amazement. Fear. Praise.
They acknowledge God’s holy movements and bring Him glory.
The words “thankful,” “thanks,” or “grateful” aren’t recorded in many of the stories about God’s mighty deeds or after the signs and wonders performed by Jesus.
We might assume people on the receiving end of God’s powerful acts were thankful, but did they say, “thank you”?
Thankfulness in the Bible
Though we may not see the words “thank you” in the Bible as much as we expect, we find three people who modeled three different types of thankfulness in Scripture.
1 – The Leper Who Returned: Intentional Thankfulness
“As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ He looked at them and said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.” – Luke 17:14–16 NLT
The ten lepers were a cast off community bound by their common disease. They called Jesus “Master” when they cried out to Him for healing.
Yet, they seem to forget all about Jesus once healed, except for one. Jesus noticed the one who returned to thank Him was a Samaritan.
For the healed leper’s intentional act of gratitude, Jesus added a gift of spiritual healing. He told the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you” (Lk 17:19).
From this one man, we learn how Jesus is worthy of intentional gratitude.
Sometimes we may forget to thank God or assume He knows we’re thankful. When we take time to acknowledge the Giver, we reveal a deeper understanding—that Jesus is the real gift.
2 – Jesus: Trusting Thankfulness
“Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.’” – Luke 22:17–18 NLT
Jesus knew what was coming. He understood the cup he was about to drink.
And yet, Jesus “gave thanks to God.”
The unknown may fill us with fear and anxiety. Jesus modeled trusting our Father enough to thank Him for what’s ahead—even if it’s painful or difficult.
In Jesus’ humanity, He asked, in anguish, for the cup of crucifixion to be removed.
But Jesus surrendered to the Father’s will, trusting that something beautiful for all of mankind could emerge from it.
3 – Paul: Humble Thankfulness
“I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
In the letters Paul writes, we see evidence of a life empowered by grace and filled with thankfulness. Paul exhorts Christians to a lifestyle of thanksgiving to God for all He’s done through Christ Jesus.
Paul’s teachings on grace open the floodgates to thankfulness.
In 2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT, Paul writes, “All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.”
Paul’s message to all believers is simple: We deserve nothing, yet we’ve received everything in Christ.
God deserves all gratitude and glory.
When we realize the depth of the grace of God and the undeserved forgiveness and favor we’ve received, then we can’t help but live in a state of humble thankfulness.
Gratitude in Action
We remain tethered to the Lord by threads of gratitude when we follow Him (Phil 4:6–7).
Are we intentional in offering thanks? We should thank God, no matter who is or isn’t giving thanks around us.
Our focus should be on the Giver, not the gift.
Can we trust God enough to thank Him for what’s yet to come? God can bring good from uncharted territory. We can even thank the Lord in advance.
Let’s ask God to help cultivate a daily gratitude for His generous grace. We should strive to have this appreciation reflected in all that we think, say, and do.
May these three types of thankfulness for who God is and what He’s done for us become the foundation of our worship.
And may we, “always be joyful,” “never stop praying,” and “be thankful in all circumstances” (1 Thes 5:16–18).
Cheryl Esper Balcom
Cheryl Esper Balcom is the author of Winds of Grace: Losing My Father, Surrendering Control, and Growing in Faith (available on Amazon.com). Cheryl also writes to help the perfectionist find peace in God’s perfect grace at cherylesperbalcom.com. She and her husband live in lovely southwest Michigan, where they enjoy watching wildlife wander through the yard.
