I love this time of year. There’s so much optimism as we start a new year. It’s like standing in a doorway. We’re all peeking through the door at 2026, looking at our goals, our resolutions, the things we need God to bless. We’re thinking, "Lord, this year I need a breakthrough," or "Lord, change my spouse," or "Lord, please help the Vikings."
It is so easy to walk through that door carrying a backpack full of blessings from last year, without ever stopping to be thankful to the One who gave them to us. We get so focused on what we want God to do next, we forget what He just did.
In Luke 17, Jesus’ interaction with 10 men tells us a lot about the importance of looking back. It’s about ten men with leprosy. Now, in that culture, this was a death sentence. They were outcasts.
Luke 17:11-19 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
Imagine that! All ten got the miracle. All ten got their lives back. But here is the tragedy of the "Nine." Nine of them were so excited about the gift—so excited to get back to their families, their jobs, their normal lives—that they ghosted the Giver.
There’s this "Trap of the New Normal." It’s scary how fast a miracle can become a routine. Think about it: We prayed for the job, we got the job, and six months later? We’re complaining about the commute. We prayed for healing, got out of the hospital, and a month later? We forgot we were ever sick. We don't want to be the Nine. We don't want to be people who love the gift but forget the Giver.
But then, there’s the One. Luke 17:15 says, "One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him..."
I love that. It wasn’t a quiet whisper. He made a scene! He realized that moving forward required him to turn around. He stopped his progress toward his "new life" to go back to the source of Life.
And look at what happens next. This is the best part. Luke 17:17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Now, if you look at the original Greek there, the word Jesus uses is sozo. For the other nine, they got physical healing. But for the one who came back? Sozo implies wholeness, made complete, restored to right standing. The Nine got their skin back. The One got his soul back.
That is what gratitude does. It changes us from being merely "healed" to being made "whole." It keeps our hearts soft. It keeps our eyes open. It reminds us that Jesus is a Savior who wants a relationship with us. Gratitude makes a difference!
So, as we head into prayer today. Before we rush into the New Year, let’s do a "Turn Around."
Before we ask God for a single thing for 2026, we are going to thank Him for 2025.
I want to challenge you: Keep a Gratitude Journal during 21 Days of Prayer. Every day, write down one prayer God answered. Just one. Let’s not be the Nine who walk away. Let’s be the One who runs back to the Master.
Spend some time right now: 1. Thank Him for the prayers He answered last year. 2. Pray that our church family would have eyes to see God’s hand in their daily lives. 3. As we present our requests for the New Year, let’s do it with a posture of surrender, trusting that the God who was faithful yesterday will be faithful tomorrow.