How Do I Thank God For Answering My Prayers?
Apr 15, 2026Summary
Have you ever prayed fervently for a miracle, but once the answer arrived, you simply moved on to the next problem? We often suffer from "spiritual amnesia," forgetting to return and express our gratitude. In this episode of the Arise, Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson and guest Kari Anjewierden answer the heartfelt question: how to thank God for answered prayers. We explore the powerful "10th Leper Principle" from the New Testament, discussing why taking the time to acknowledge God's hand heightens your ability to feel His Spirit. We also dive into practical ways to show gratitude, even when you are in the trenches of life's hardest moments.
Tamara shares a touching story of finding things to be thankful for in a hospital bed after a major car accident, while Kari explains why acting on divine promptings is the ultimate "thank you" to Heaven. Whether you're a Christian woman looking to overcome spiritual amnesia or simply wanting to cultivate a childlike gratitude for the little things—like warm blankets and light bulbs—this episode is packed with inspiration. If you've been wondering how to thank God for answered prayers and turn that gratitude into a lifelong habit, tune in to this thought-provoking conversation!
Episode Takeaways
- The 10th Leper Principle: Just like the one leper who returned to thank Jesus, taking the time to intentionally praise God opens up a world of blessings we wouldn't know otherwise.
- Find Gratitude in the Trenches: You don't have to wait for everything to be perfect to say thank you. Even in a hospital bed, finding small things to be grateful for bridges the gap between you and Heaven.
- Embrace Childlike Acknowledgment: God smiles when we notice the little things. Don't be afraid to thank Him for the carpets, the pillows, and the light bulbs!
- The Ultimate Thank You: The greatest gift you can offer back to God isn't just a spoken prayer; it's actively acting on the promptings and guidance He gives you.
Resources
Ready to turn gratitude into a lifelong habit of hearing Him? Get our free Revelation bundle, which includes the Roadmap to Revelation PDF (6 steps to hearing God in your daily life) & an MP3 Meditation, to help you prepare to Receive Light & Revelation here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/Roadmap-to-Revelation
Reflection Questions
- When you look back at your recent prayers, are they mostly filled with "pleas" or "praise"?
- What is one difficult experience in your past where you were still able to find something to be thankful for?
- How can you turn a recent prompting or piece of inspiration into an action-based "thank you" to God today?
Host & Guest
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Kari Anjewierden @pocket.miracles
Transcript
Tamara K. Anderson
00:00:00.480 - 00:02:46.090
Have you ever prayed with everything you have for a miracle, a healing, a financial breakthrough, or a child's safety? And then once the answer came, you simply moved on to the next problem. We are often so fervent in our please but so forgetful in our praise.
Perhaps you may be wondering, how do I thank God for answering my prayers? Because you want to be more than just a person who asks. You want to be a woman who recognizes God as the giver in every detail of your life.
Well, my friend, you are in the right place.
By the end of today's episode, you will understand the 10th leper principle and how a simple shift to gratitude can heighten your ability to feel God's spirit. We're going to help you solve spiritual amnesia by sharing stories of hospital room journals and children who thanked God for light bulbs.
We're moving from he helped me to he is here with me and I'm so thankful. Stay tuned. Ordinary Women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes.
The Arise Women of God Podcast hello, and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson.
And joining me today is the thoughtful and well spoken Carrie Angewerden, a member of our Women warriors of Light Advisory board. And today we are diving into a neglected part of the prayer loop, the thank you.
First, we're going to take a look at the story of the 10 lepers, why only one returned to the Savior, and how we can be that one. Second, I'll share a story of a tiny spiral notebook and a major car accident that taught me how to find gratitude in the middle of a hospital room.
Third, we're going to talk about childlike acknowledgment, why God smiles when we thank him for the carpets, the blankets and the light bulbs.
And finally, Carrie is going to explain the ultimate thank you, why acting on the promptings he gives you is the greatest gift you can offer back to heaven. But first, let's start with this amazing story in the Bible, the story of the ten lepers.
There were ten of them begging Jesus to heal them, and then he heals them. Go, go show yourselves to the priest. They're healed on the way. And only one comes back. Only one.
And I think that part pricks my heart a little bit because I'm like, am I only thanking him one time in ten? Do you know what I mean? For the blessings and how he's showing up in my life. I don't know. Carrie, thoughts on this?
Kari Anjewierden
00:02:46.330 - 00:03:32.460
God wants to hear it. He loves us so Much. And he wants to bless us, and he's always blessing us, and he will continue to bless us.
But just like you or I want to hear thank you for the things that we've done. You know, as a mom, how many times have you just done the same thing over and over and over, and you never get a thank you for it, right?
He just wants to hear it. He just wants to know that we are acknowledging the things that he has done.
And what I have witnessed in my life is that when we show that gratitude, it opens up a world for us that we won't know otherwise. And pray it. Pray your thanks.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:03:33.420 - 00:07:05.650
We don't want to be one of the nine who walked away. It starts with being intentional at the end of the day and then having gratitude even when we're in the trenches.
I'm also remembering a time in my life when you would have thought I wouldn't have been grateful, but I was. I was in a terrible car accident years and years ago. I ended up in the hospital for the next week and a half healing from that car accident.
And my husband brought me my little journal. We were getting ready to move, and it was like a little spiral notebook that was probably 3 inches by 5 inches. It was just tiny.
And I looked back and I had just kind of started scribbling in that right before the accident happened. And I asked him to go get it for me. And so many of those first pages were full of things I was thankful for. I was thankful I was still alive.
I was thankful for little things that happened at the hospital, nurses that were kind and all these things. And I could have easily just been angry and complaining, and yet I was thankful. And things were not working out.
One of my lungs was having problems staying re inflated, even though I had a chest tube in there. And there were things that I had to learn about talking to God, but I was so thankful.
And I look back on that time in my life and think I need to remember this younger version of Tamra and follow my own example, to thank God even, and especially in the hard times, because there's miracles in those hard times, too. If we can find things to be thankful for in a hospital bed, we can find them anywhere.
And sometimes we just need to take a page out of our children's book. I remember one of my kids who used to spend 90% of his prayer listing every object in the room as we were talking about gratitude.
I remember when one of my kids was really little, they went through this phase where in their evening prayers, they would say everything in their evening prayers that they could possibly think of. And so these prayers were like 90% gratitude. And they were long prayers for a little kid.
And I remember at times I'm just like, oh, here he goes again. You know what I mean? But I could almost feel heaven. Sorry.
Smiling down on that sweet little soul. And it was like God was like, I love this child of mine.
I love that he wants to thank me for light bulbs and carpet and pillows and blankets, and everything that he could possibly think of was in that evening prayer for years.
I honestly feel like it's so awesome when somebody thanks us that I can imagine God just pouring down love and blessings on that child while he was saying those sweet little prayers. And why would it be any different with us? God loves when we notice the small things.
But now Carrie is going to share a point that I think is one of the most profound ways we can share our thanks. It's the transition from feeling grateful to acting on that gratitude.
Kari Anjewierden
00:07:06.210 - 00:08:34.750
And so journaling, for me, is a big thing. I have started a practice of trying to seek out ahead of time what I need to speak with God about. But then as As inspiration comes, remembering each time he brings something to my mind. Oh, thank you for that thing. And then saying, is there more? Is there more that you want to share with me? Oh, thank you for that. Is there more?
But allowing him to change us, I think that's one of the. The greatest gifts we can give to God is acting on those things that he gives us in the moment.
Number one, write them down so that you know what those are, and then act on them. And as those things keep coming, continue to act on those things.
What greater gift could he have than for you to start fulfilling those things that he has asked you to do? I know for my.
For me as a mother with my own children, when I have guided my child to do something, when I see the outcome of that, when they follow what I've told them, I know it means so much to me. And I imagine our Heavenly Father is just the same.
Tamara K. Anderson
00:08:36.039 - 00:09:51.220
Gratitude isn't just a polite gesture. It's a spiritual bridge.
Whether you're writing in a tiny spiral notebook or thanking him for the sunrise, you are making yourself seen by the One who has always seen you and is showering down blessings, whether we see them or not.
To help you turn gratitude into a lifelong habit of learning to hear him, we invite you to download our free roadmap to revelation, which includes six steps to hearing God in your daily life. And listen to the the Bundle audio meditation that goes along with it help set you up for receiving light and revelation.
These are available for free in the link below. One of the principles in this download is to write down and record things that we receive from God.
And we can also write down and record those miracles and blessings that we also notice, so that you never forget the little miracles that you have already received. So my friend, go thank God for three things today, even if it is just light bulbs.
For God loves those who acknowledge his hand in all things and is ready to shower down more blessings upon them. So my friend, till next time may you arise. Do it God's way. God strong.
