(written a few weeks ago)

Luke 5:12-13

^“While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”¹³ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.”

I’m home today wrestling with back pain which has kept me immobile for a few days now and this scripture in today’s daily office is speaking to me.

Back in the days of our Charismatic involvement some of the popular preachers of the day would explain this scripture something like this, “The leper came to Jesus in doubt kneeling and begging saying, ‘if you will’ but Jesus dispelled his doubt by saying, ‘I will’. Therefore, we don’t come to Jesus wondering if it’s His will. We come boldly, being fully persuaded that it is always His will to heal His children.”

I think this interpretation misses something vitally important. The leper did not come to Jesus fearfully or in doubt so much as he came in reverent submission. This is a picture that is a little hard for me to grasp. I consider myself to be self sufficient and tend to be independent in my thinking. As a result I have never seen myself bowing down or falling on my face before anyone or having to submit myself to someone I would consider my superior. It is a foreign concept to me. Coming boldly is much more appealing.

I need to learn the lesson of the leper. If I am truly His then He is truly free to do with me as He wills. I believe that it is His will to heal me. I also believe that the timing and the method are His. I also believe that, as a loving Father, His desire for me is much more than just physical healing. He wants to heal the inside as well as the outside and the tools for that healing are in His hands.