When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,”he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”– Matthew 8:1–4
Has there ever been a moment where you’re looking for a miracle, a blessing, or the hope that God will change something in your life for the better? For the leper, it was to be healed, and he simply came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus responds, “I am willing.” “Be clean!”
If it can happen to the leper, why not me? Why not my broken relationships? Why not my loneliness? Why not my cancer? Some believe this verse is proof that Jesus is always willing to heal. But then we find that so many succumb to what they need healing from. There have been many times I’ve shown up to hospitals to pray for people, and while there, I would remind them to have faith; Jesus cares. Just to watch them succumb to their ailments. I remember one time I was visiting a lady in the hospital who I did not know. I just heard from her community that she had gone and needed prayer. So I showed up unexpectedly in her room. She was sitting in a chair as nurses were working around her, and she was watching The Price Was Right. It was a busy scene, and so I quickly introduced myself and asked her if I could return in a couple days to sit with her. She said yes, and I quickly prayed for her and left the room so the nurses could finish their work. I wasn’t there long—probably about 5 minutes or so. In a couple days, I got word from the community she lived in that she had passed away. I was wrecked. I didn’t get a chance to have a one-on-one conversation with her to see if she knew Jesus. I showed up, but I didn’t ask if she was saved; I didn’t ask if she was walking with Jesus, and it hurt not knowing if she was in the arms of Jesus at this moment. To top it off, word got out that a minister had visited, and then I was contacted to do her funeral. My first funeral as a minister was for a lady that I had no clue was saved; I knew nothing of her life or family, and I was mourning because I felt I had failed to give her the gospel. I had let the business of life deter me from waiting and speaking with her. To this day I carry her funeral bulletin in my visiting bible to remind me that every souls matters.
I often ask God about those I visit in the hospital who succumb to death, Lord, why don’t you heal them? I mean, how amazing would it be to witness God working miracles in your life all the time? To see the lame walk and to witness the blind seeing. I don’t know, but I do know this: there are unknown factors that even I am incapable of piecing together when it comes to God’s plan and will. But even in my own private prayers to God, too please help me in this situation. I must believe by faith that God is always good, and he always knows what is good for me. I think of scriptures like:
- Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17
- and even, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,”he said. “Be clean!” Matthew 8:2
I want to live a life of seeing God goodness in all circumstances. I want to have a total faith in Christ where I’m not deterred from my faith when I don’t get what I prayed for. We can trust God because he has never done anything but good for us.