The holiday season can feel more stressful than restful. How can we live with a well soul in the middle of all the chaos of checklists and our regular responsibilities? This season, I am offering you a gift to help you live with a well soul. So click the link in the show notes to sign up for the Advent Reflections where every day in the month of December will be a reflection and time for you to pause so that you can live with a well soul from December 1st to December 25th.
Click the link in the show notes to join for free.
Welcome to the WellSoul Podcast, where we pause to drink in scripture, reflect, and pray. I am your host, Seana Scott, and sometimes life leaves our souls feeling parched. So come to the well of living water that never runs dry.
Today in our moments together, we will meditate on the goodness of God and have space to rest for just a few moments and give thanks to the Lord. I hope as you walk away from this episode, you are filled with gratitude that will carry you through this Thanksgiving week.
In the story of the gospel, we are now in the middle time between the Old and New Testaments, where God has allowed his people to come back into the land and they are waiting for their Messiah. So for today, we're going to focus on Thanksgiving, both from the Old and New Testaments.
In the Old Testament, there was this festival of Thanksgiving every year called the Festival of Booths, where God outlined for his people to worship him for providing for them for the past year.
And they would do special sacrifices in the temple and live in temporary tents made of trees and palm branches, reminding them from where they came out of slavery in Egypt, living in tents and God provided for them in the wilderness. In Luke 17, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for this festival of Thanksgiving, and he heals 10 lepers.
This is where we will meditate on scripture today.
Before I read, take a deep breath and invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you through God's Word.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Luke 17:11-19 (NIV)
11 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[a] 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.
15 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—and he was a Samaritan.
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.”
What stood out to you from this passage? Meditate on that for a moment.
An outsider, a Samaritan, was the only one who turned back to thank Jesus. And I wonder, are we so used to God's grace and provision that we keep running rather than stopping to thank him for the goodness in our lives? Are we so thankful for the things we have, like the healing the nine Lepers got, rather than the one who heals, our Lord?
As scripture says, everything good comes from God (James 1:17). All of it is his grace at work in our lives.
Today, I want us to pause in a time of gratitude in prayer. I will give you a prompt, leave space for you to pray, and then give you another prompt. And then I will join us in prayer. As we close, join me.
Father, son, Holy Spirit, one and only true God, we worship you. Thank you God for— and go ahead and thank God for everything he's provided for you this year.
Lord God, thank you also for sustaining our bodies this year, that we have breath and life is a gift from you.
Now go ahead and praise God for anything to do with health of yourself or your loved ones.
Thank you, God.
And thank you, God, for all of our loved ones, our family and friends. Go ahead and name some names before God of people you're thankful for.
Thank you, God.
Now, thank God for the specific work that he gives you to do every day, whether it's in your job or in your home or even in your neighborhood or church.
Thank you, God.
And thank you, God, for the hope that we have in you because of Jesus. Take a moment to simply thank God for our salvation in Jesus.
Now sit in a place of gratitude and thank God for anything else that comes to mind.
Thank you, Lord, for all these things. In Jesus's name. Amen.
Thank you for joining me today on the Well Soul podcast for our story of the gospel journey as we have focused on Thanksgiving today. I invite you to subscribe to the Advent Devotional that will be starting on December 1st, where every day an email of five minutes to dwell on the Christmas story will be sent out to help you find space and a place to pause.
in this crazy hectic season to really celebrate on a soul level the miracle of Christmas. See the link in the show notes to join for free for the Advent devotional series delivered directly to your email inbox. You will also have an opportunity to download a printable Advent devotional as well. In closing, I remember my late friend, Brian Vasquez, who made this podcast possible.
God bless you, and I pray that you have a well soul.