Does God Need to Be Grateful?

While going over some of our Savior’s virtues this morning and asking for those same virtues to be in me—love, joy, peace, generosity, forgiveness, mercy, gratefulness. Wait a minute, gratefulness? Does God need to be grateful? He lacks nothing and needs nothing we can possible give him, not even our prayers or worship. He has no need that I could think of to be grateful. Though thankfulness to God is expressed throughout the Psalms and New Testament prayers, it isn’t mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer. But then Jesus defended the thankful woman who poured the expensive perfume on his head when even his disciples questioned what she did (Matthew 26). And when he healed the ten lepers, and only one came back to thank him, he asked, where are the others (Luke 17). Jesus appreciated being thanked and he always thanked God in his prayers. God may not need to be grateful, but Jesus was grateful, so gratefulness stays on the list.