He had no hope.
There was no doctor to heal him.
There was no medicine to cure him.
His diagnosis was final: a slow, painful deterioration of skin, muscle and nerves.
He was despised and desperate.
“If you are willing, Lord, you can make me clean,” said the leper before his Lord.
The people stand back and watch.
What will Jesus do?
A gasp of air, the crowd stares in shock.
Jesus reaches out his hand and touches one who is contaminated, unclean, dirty, and contagious.
“I am willing,” he says to the leper. “Be clean”
He touched me? The leper looks for the weeping sores, but they are gone! His skin is smooth and clear. His soul is full of light as he exclaims, “I am healed! I am clean!”
Reflection
Many women who have experienced trauma feel unclean. Like the leper, their soul is stained by a disease that causes them to feel contaminated. They think that they have been permanently damaged.
If you can relate to that feeling of being damaged and dirty, see yourself as the leper in this story.
Imagine the Savior holding your hand. Look into His eyes, and see his compassion.
Hear His words: “I am willing. Be clean.”
Be free from your bondage.
Be released from your guilt.
Be healed from your past.
“I am willing,” says the Healer. “Be clean!”
Prayer
Healing Savior,
We come to you. Like the desperate leper, we come. There are parts of us that are damaged. Parts so deep, no doctor can touch. We battle shame. We live with guilt. Heal us, Lord. Make us clean. Release us from the bondage of the past. Restore our soul. We choose to wash in the truth of your Word. Touch us with your cleansing power today.
Read Matthew 8
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