... "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
-Luke 5:12

I absolulely love the book of Luke. There is just something about it that speaks to my spirit. I love the way it flows; the way it addresses the supernatural; the way it tells the story that has given us new life.

As I was looking through Luke today, I happened upon the scripture above. The phrase says so much.

The man who said it was a leper. The Bible says that when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying those words.

How did the leper know? The Bible really isn't clear. But it could have been that the leper heard about Jesus around town. Maybe he had a friend that talked about him. Maybe he overheard a group of people spreading the good news. Maybe he had been hearing about him for a while. Who knows. The important thing is that the leper found him.

The first part of what he said, 'Lord, if you are willing', is beautiful. Why? Because it acknowledges Jesus' authority as well as the leper's humility. Secondly, the man says 'you can make me clean'. He boldly believes that Jesus can do it. His faith is true. He basically says 'Lord, whatever you want, you can do it'.

Of course, Jesus says 'I am willing', then he heals him.

Jesus is always willing to respond to humility and faith. It doesn't matter how sick we are, how many times we denied him before, how long it took us to find him...he is always willing. Always. Isn't that good news?

It is we who are not always willing. It is that willingness that we should pray for. It is like an open hand that leads straight to the heart. Will we accept whatever he places in it?