“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” Luke 17:15-16 NIV

Firstly, let me start with a big apology for being gone for so long. There’s been much I want to share, but I have been learning to take every day one step at a time and developing my ability to steward the revelations God gives me.

I was speaking to my sister the other day, and we discussed how we must not be quick to share everything when the process has not been completed. I want to share when I myself have overcome and achieved different assignments. When we haven’t finished but share pieces of the process, we end up boasting in ourselves rather than in God.

So I’m here, but not for myself. I’m here to boast about God and what He’s done.

A while back, I shared about hasty decisions I made, and it ended up costing me a lot. I was heavily affected by the experience, but I remember it taught me the greatest lesson about waiting on God.

Here’s something even more amazing: after the lesson, I still kept praying and believing God to resolve this problem. Some days were really hard and forced me to rely on support from others (which was not easy, but it humbled me greatly). At one point, I decided I had to let go and let God handle the situation.

Long story short, the issue escalated to a formal dispute resolution process. There was so much back and forth that I thought it would last until next year… or so I thought.

Like I said, I decided at one point to let go and let God handle the situation. That’s when I started experiencing a very strange peace. I would experience this peace when I went to work, was at church, or was carrying out my day-to-day routines.

One day, I went to the kitchen for tea and sat on the couch, chilling as though all these issues happening in the background weren’t even real. That day, one of my siblings even said, “You’re really chilling,” as if to say I was looking really relaxed. It was in a playful tone, as siblings do, but what we didn’t know was that I would open an email about an hour later to find that the dispute had come to a conclusion. The result was in my favour and came with wonderful recompense for all my troubles.

I tell you, the way I screamed and jumped with joy, no one can imagine. God heard my prayers and came through quicker than I had even hoped for. I still haven’t gotten over it to this day.

I promised God I would share this testimony any way I can once everything was settled, and I did. I got an opportunity during Sunday service, I’ve had opportunities to share with my colleagues, and now I have an opportunity to share and encourage you too.

But I don’t want to leave it there. I want to remind you of the passage in Luke 17:11-19. It’s a story in which Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, but ONLY ONE out of the TEN came back to thank Jesus.

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11-19 NIV.

When I read this, I asked myself, how could only one out of the ten show gratitude after seeing what He had done for them?

Upon reflection I have realised I have been like the nine who did not come back. In the past, I would forget quickly what God had done and even sometimes hide the testimony from others, as if it weren’t big enough compared to others’. Not anymore. I don’t want to be like those who receive an answer to prayer but do not come back to offer thanksgiving.

If you read the passage a few times, you will also see Jesus’s response to the man who came back with gratitude. He said, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The man’s genuine thanksgiving completed the process of healing into wholeness!

(I just love Jesus for teaching me this one.)

My encouragement to you today: don’t forget to give God the credit due to Him!

If these quiet-time reflections are blessing you, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments based on the questions mentioned earlier in this piece. Don’t forget to share with others, and subscribe so you can stay up to date with future posts. ❤

Ruth xx