Lord, if Thou wilt.

Have you ever prayed, “Lord, if you will, you could heal me of this cancer, or

*Lord, if you will, you could meet this mortgage payment, or

 *Lord, if you will you could bring these two people, separated from each other back together before it is too late, or

*Lord if you will you could bless my business so that I could pay my bills and support more missionaries, or Lord if you will…….(you fill it in!)

The leper in Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-44 and then also in Luke 5:12-14 took advantage of a moment of faith to say to Jesus, “Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” What a picture of saving grace AND instant healing!

If you read beginning in Matthew 5 and continue to the story of the leper, you gain an instruction book on how to live.  Ever wonder what to do…..GO TO THE BOOK! Everything you and I need to know about what to do is pretty much covered in Matthew 5-7.  It is amazing! I started listing all the subjects Jesus was covering and just started laughing. He knew exactly what to say, how much to say and covered everything!

Jesus, you are something else! I cannot compare with you. I cannot counsel without your Word. You have it ALL written down for easy access. 

If we will just pick it up and place our eyes upon the Words, and then believe with our hearts to take action about the matter. Why do we not do this? Do you understand just how strong the evil one is in our life? It’s just too dangerous to play around on the edge. Where in the world did the leper come from? Was he a part of the many crowds Jesus spoke to? I doubt it, simply because he was a leper; he was not accepted in the crowd.

Mt 8:1 ¶ When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
Mt 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Mt 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Mt 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

The leper had enough faith to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and he also had enough faith to believe that Jesus could heal him BUT he didn’t know if he would.  You and I are so much like the leper, wouldn’t you agree? We came to Him, believed that He could take our rotten sins on His sinless body, die for us and come back to the earth from the grave, but we are not sure if He will answer us in a time of great need, whatever that need is. Folks that is another reason we must read, study and practice the scriptures. It will not only increase our faith, but will give us examples to go by, to look to, to believe in when doubt surrounds us with fear to the point we don’t even know how to pray.

The leper’s words were simple. Don’t you imagine the leper had for a long time felt hopeless, useless, and miserable to himself and to others?  But, this was his hour wasn’t it? He took advantage of this moment in history and it literally changed his whole world, and so can it yours and mine.

“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst…….”  Why not seek His face about this matter you face. Has it already been covered in Matthew 5-7? Is what you are asking in the circle of God’s allowance? Does it seem to be impossible? Will Jesus get all the glory and not YOU? Is this for personal gain or God’s gain? Why are you asking Him for this matter?  Our Preacher has said a few times just recently that God’s voice to us should be so familiar, even more familiar than our spouses’ voice. Isn’t that good? Are you close to Him like that? Are you able to feel His breath upon your face as you talk to Him? Do you reach up and touch Him? Do you stand and openly praise Him and thank Him for ALL things?

The leper bowed down and worshiped Jesus. He gave recognition to Jesus. So must we.  Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, and so can He touch you and me, friend. He wants to hear from us. He wants us to want Him.

So, what is it that you need? Ask “Lord, what do YOU need from me?”  Are you willing to obey Him? Then friend, what are you waiting on? Take advantage of this moment.  

 

The leper was healed immediately AS JESUS TOUCHED HIM. Jesus gave him specific instructions once the healing took place. Did the leper obey? No. Because of his excitement of being healed, he went and broadcast it which caused Jesus to not be able to enter into the cities as He needed to.  Jesus always has a plan before, during and after whatever He does in our lives and if we are to give Him the glory, we must obey. I must confess that I probably would have done the same thing as this leper did.  He took off running not only with his legs but with his mouth! He could not contain himself.  

God’s plan is perfect. We don’t need to add to it, or subtract from it. We just need to slide right into it!

Until next time, Lord willing…

Sharon