Matthew 8:3
And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
His skin was literally falling off the bones. Before it turned white with death, it would be overrun with boils and sores. Leprosy was a free ticket to isolation, hopelessness, and eventual death. But this man had a faith in Jesus that we would all do well to reach for. Jesus’ kind response was in direct relation to the leper’s approach found in Matthew 8:2.
“And behold, a leper came to Him.” Before you can expect your burdens to disappear, you must first acknowledge that Jesus is your only hope. It was against Jewish customs for the leper to associate with “clean” people. He was willing to come to Jesus regardless of the social restraints placed upon him. Are you?
“And bowed down to Him…” The word that our Bibles have translated “bowed” is a term of worship. This leper had witnessed Jesus’ healings and teachings. He acknowledged Jesus as one who was worthy of worship. He understood that Jesus healed out of love and compassion, not out of duty. Are you offering your requests to the Lord or demanding them of Him? He is your king. Do not address Him as if He owes you anything.
Saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” There is no reason for you to approach our Savior in prayer if you are not already convinced that He has the ability to grant your request to you. The Lord’s priority isn’t to heal your infirmities. His foremost concern is to have you acknowledge his Lordship. You must never doubt His ability to heal or to provide. You must come to Him confident of who He is and what He can do. Above all else, you must be willing to accept an answer other than what you desired. When you can do this, you have understood the purpose of your trials. You have grasped that everything points to the Father’s glory… regardless of what the ultimate outcome looks like for you.