As we begin 2019, I wanted to share some thoughts from Reaching for Wonder from the story of leper being cleansed. All of have places in our lives that are falling about, that are afflicted with a "disease" we can't figure out how to cure on our own. All of us have those places where we can do nothing but come to God and say, "If you're willing, Lord, you can make me whole."
I Am Willing
In the face of our doubts and fears, Jesus speaks not a condemnation, but instead two simple words (in the Greek) that dispel both doubt and fear. This first is, when translated, “I am willing.” And the second is, “Be cleansed.”
When we are at our lowest, when faith fails, when it hurts to try to hope anymore, God’s answer to us is not disappointment or guilt or shame. His answer is, “I am willing.” He is willing to make us whole. He loves us enough to not just heal, but to make clean.
I love the deeper meaning of the word “to cleanse” in the Greek. It not only means to cure a person from an “unclean” disease, but it also means to free from faults, to free from the doubt we see in “if.” It means to consecrate, to dedicate, to make complete for God’s use.
That is what Jesus intends to offer us. Not simply a cure for the external need, but a deep soul cleansing that takes our “if” and transforms it into wonder.
He is willing. The question is, are we?
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