I Am Willing! Be Cleansed!
Luke 5:
12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus;
and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying,
"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying,
"I am willing; be cleansed."
Immediately the leprosy left him. (New King James Bible)
The Lord Jesus was passing through a city when a man with a dreaded skin disease saw Him. The man didn't just glance at Jesus.
This man fixed his gaze on Jesus and he looked into Jesus' eyes with faith and hope.
Next, verse 12 tells us that this man fell on his face in worship. When he looked at Jesus, he didn't just see the walking, talking answer to his need.
He saw a Divine Person.
Evidently, when he had seen Jesus before, this man had been captivated by the Person of the Lord Jesus! And he fell on his face in reverence before the Lord.
From his position of worship, the man, who was an outcast from society, then made his request.
"Jesus, because of this contagious disease, I am now a reject.
I know for sure that You have the power to cure this terrible disease.
Believing You can help me isn't my problem.
What I want to know is: are You WILLING to help someone with my kind of disability."
Right away, the reply of Jesus came.
First, Jesus touched this rejected man.
The touch of Jesus restored to the man, all his dignity as a full human being.
He had lost this human dignity when he had been discovered to have this dreaded disease.
The second part of Jesus' reply came in word and power:
"I am willing! Be cleansed."
The touch of the Lord Jesus is a touch of willingness to cleanse us.
Because the human race has let sin into the world, we also reap all the negatives sin brings with it, such as sickness.
Sometimes a specific sin directly causes a specific sickness.
But many times that is not the case, and human beings are open to sickness simply because we live in a world where people get ill.
That was probably the case with this man.
The touch of the Lord Jesus upon us humans is always a willingness to cleanse us.
He is willing to cleanse us of sin and also of the effects of sin. The healing touch of Jesus upon our life works from the inside, out.
So when we come to Him with our need. Ask Him to cleanse us of sin first.
That is our deepest need. But don't stop there.
Now ask Him to cleanse us of the effects of sin in us, like sickness.
Ask Him, like this man did, about the sickness that you are aware of.
Then ask Him to cleanse everything else: things that you may be unaware of.
The Bible tells us that this man was cleansed immediately.
In other words, the sickness had been cleansed from his body and he could see that the limbs that had been distorted by this disease had been put right on the outside also.
Not all healings are immediately accomplished like this one was.
So, as you see the power of God begin to work in your life, keep believing that the Lord Jesus will continue His cleansing work in your life, because He assures you of this: "I am willing! Be cleansed."
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
today I fix my eyes on Jesus, my Saviour and Redeemer.
Lord Jesus, I desire to look fully into Your wonderful face, and see Your compassion, Your care, Your warmth directed right back at me.
Though I have always thought of myself as a reject,
I understand and believe that You are willing to cleanse me,
not only of sin, but also of all the effects of sin that have caused this condition of rejection in my life.
I come to You today because I believe that You have received me and accepted me.
I believe that Your great power is at work in me,
taking away the atmosphere of rejection from around me,
and the sting of the reject from inside me.
Thank You for this miracle at work in my life through Your mighty power, Lord Jesus.
I receive Your healing love today into my whole being.
Thank You for making me free.
I bow in reverence and worship You with great thanksgiving in my heart.
Amen.
