"I will do it"

Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. (Luke 5:12)

Obviously this man had faith. He sincerely believed that Jesus could heal him. Still, it seems he wasn’t sure if Jesus would heal him. Having a disfiguring skin disease may have made him unwilling to ask for help. Also, many in his day viewed leprosy as the result of sin. Imagine the shame this man must have been bearing!

But none of this mattered to Jesus. The man’s belief that Jesus could do the impossible and the fact that he was reaching out for help were all he needed. And so in this story, we have an illustration of something Jesus later told his apostles: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6). The man had faith, and the impossible happened.

This is the kind of faith that Jesus is looking for in us—not perfect faith, mind you; just enough to yield to him. But like this fellow, we may believe that God can bless and heal; we’re just not sure he wants to do it for us. We may feel unworthy of his attention. We may think that some sin from our past disqualifies us. Or we may question our own faith, and so hesitate to reach out to the Lord for healing.

To each of these fears—and whatever other obstacles we may face—Jesus offers a very simple response: “I will do it” (Luke 5:13). He assures you of his love for you. He smiles when you think he will condemn you. He even laughs a bit at your thought that you don’t matter to him. “Of course you matter! Come over here, and let me embrace you,” he says with a warm smile.

What areas in your life need the touch of Jesus? Whatever they are, believe that he wants to help you. Let him heal your illness or help you accept it. He may help you reconcile with an old friend or family member. Maybe he will provide for a need you didn’t know you had. Whatever the case, believe that he can, and that he wants to, work!

from wau.org