A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,'" he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," He said. "Be Healed!"
As far as we know, this man’s approach was unique. Instead of blurting out his need, he expressed his faith and confidence by saying to Jesus, “If you are willing, you can heal me and make be clean.” To me, this is truly amazing. It says a lot about the man with leprosy. It is hard to ascertain where his faith in Jesus came from. This is early in the Lord’s public ministry and yet the man had the belief that Jesus could heal him if He was willing.
Too many times we go to Jesus with our cares and burdens wanting an answer as soon as possible. Of course, our prayers are not always answered like we would like them to be answered. Maybe today you can pray the words Jesus taught us when He was agonizing in the garden and dreading the coming crucifixion. “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine,” (Luke 22:42 NLT).
If you are willing. There that phrase is again, but this time it is Jesus praying to the Father and we know that the Father chose not to be willing for the sake of our salvation. God is willing to do what is best for His will, and we don’t always understand that. There is nothing better than hearing the Lord say, “I am willing.” But I would encourage you to live in the posture of "Your will be done, not mine.”
What do we need to know? We need to know that God’s will and willingness is beyond our understanding. He knows what is best. He knows that sometimes we grow and flourish in the suffering and become more like Him.
What do we need to be? We are to be settled with whatever God’s answer is. We are to be disciplined enough to accept His will. We must be about trusting God in the process.
What do we need to do? Stay focused on the Lord. Trust Him with our lives. Wait, listen, accept, obey, praise, and lean into His greatness. Walk the path He provides.