Instant Help

Tom Barnard

 

“A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. ‘If you want to, you can make me well again,’ he said. Moved with pity, Jesus touched him. ‘I want to,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ Instantly the leprosy disappeared—the man was healed.”

(Mark 1:40-41 NLT)

 

Miracles are exceptions to natural laws. Jesus performed many miracles during his short, three-year ministry. This one was exceptional because leprosy was a disease shrouded in superstition and fear. People with leprosy were declared “unclean” by society, and they were required to announce that fact whenever they came near whole people. They were forced to live lives separate from family and friends. There was no known cure. Jesus showing pity to a leper was not news; but Jesus touching a leper was news. As the story unfolded, Jesus was on a mission around Galilee, “preaching in the synagogues and expelling demons from many people.” He was confronted by a very pushy leper, and Jesus healed the man. Commenting on this story, Charles H. Spurgeon said,

 

            “That hand which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which

            upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch

            every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean … He loves, He looks,

            He touches us, we live.”

 

Just like that! Jesus wasted no time in correcting a life-threatening malady. He prayed no prayer. He made no attempt to discover the source of the problem. He saw the need, heard the man’s sincere plea, and he healed him. Instantly. That very thing happens when we bring our failures and disappointments to Jesus. No matter how long we have carried those spiritual maladies around, Jesus can correct them in a moment of time. All he wants is to be asked. He is waiting. Ask him now. Pray this prayer:

 

Lord, your Word teaches me to ask, to seek, to knock. This story reminds me that you are willing to grant my requests, but you are waiting for me to ask. So, Lord, I am asking. Please clean up the mess I made that I can’t clean up on my own. Look past my ugliness and see the person you want me to be—not the person I am now. You did it for the leper; I know you are able to do it for me. Thank you for giving me hope to believe you will do what is needed to cleanse me and set me free—now. Amen.