“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” – Ephesians 1:16

Hanns Lilje was born in 1899 in Hanover, Germany. The son of a Lutheran deacon, he studied theology and art history at Gottingen and Leipzig. He was ordained in 1924 as a minister in the Lutheran Church and became the student chaplain in Hanover. After Hitler came to power, Lilje worked in cooperation with others within the Protestant Church of Germany to oppose National Socialism.

On August 19, 1944, Lilje was arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced to four years imprisonment. While in Nuernberger Prison, Lilje began the habit of thanking his guards. He thanked them for his meager rations. He even thanked them when his chains were fastened on him at night. This caused his guards to have an expression of shame on their faces.

One night, the guard who had chained him came back and said: “Why do you thank me for a thing like that?”

“Well,” Lilje replied, “You have just done your duty, haven’t you?”

The guard went away shaking his head and murmuring to himself. That “thank you” profoundly affected the guard. From that point on, the guards were kinder to Lilje because he gave the grace of gratitude.

If Christ is Lord of all, and He is, are you giving non-stop thanks for all that you receive? Today in prayer, give thanks to everything that comes your way, knowing that Christ desires for you to have a grateful heart.

“A life in thankfulness releases the glory of God.” – Benge Sundberg

God’s Word: “I thank my God every time I remember you.” – Philippians 1:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2002, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING pkennedy@devotional.com