By Faith Life6 Comments on If You Wish It . . .

Today’s gospel reading slapped me up alongside the head:

A leper came to him [and kneeling down] begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”  Moved with pity, he [Jesus] stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, “I do will it.  Be made clean.”

Mark 1:40-41

So many times when I want divine intervention in a situation, I may pray to God for help with the situation.  But–to be perfectly honest–I don’t expect him to answer me the way he answered the leper in this story.

I assume that whatever is wearing me down is simply a struggle I need to deal with.  I assume that I need to learn patience in this situation.  I assume that my character will be bettered by enduring this situation.  Or maybe God just hasmore important things to deal with.

I’m OK with that.  I assume that whatever is going on is God’s will for my life.

Deep down, I assume that God wants my “leprosy” to remain.  (In order to teach me a lesson, of course.)

Perhaps what I need to learn, though, is that God DOES want me healed.  God does want me to be clean.  If something in my life is holding me back from being the person he wants me to be, then he wants that thing gone, too.

I’m always assuming that my plan is not God’s plan.

But what if it is?

That leper could have gone on thinking that maybe he was supposed to continue to learn more humility, more patience, and more trust in God through his disease.  And who knows–maybe God did want him to learn those things.

However, Jesus said, “I do wish it.”

He wanted this man cured.

Call me crazy, but maybe he wants us cured, too.

So, for those of you who are like me, let’s stop making up God’s mind for him.

From now on, let’s ask God to help us.

While we do that, let’s keep in mind that he probably does want to help us.

So let him.

 

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_If you wish, you could make me clean._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 Replies to “If You Wish It . . .”

  2. I do the same thing! Sometimes, it makes my prayers sound a little wishy-washy lol. I guess Jesus set a good example in his own prayer where he asked the cup to be taken from him, yet bowed to God’s will.

  4. We too often think we have God all figured out, don’t we? But I think He loves to surprise us by showing us that we don’t. He is so patient with us!