Daily Devotionals

Believe It or Not Week 2 Wednesday

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Luke 5:12-13

The other day I was in a store running some errands and drinking a smoothie I had just bought. As I was looking for the items I needed, the straw in my smoothie cup broke through the bottom of the cup, and my cup completely broke. My delicious smoothie spilled all over the floor. I was so embarrassed! I apologized to one of the people working at the store and looked for something to clean up the mess. One of the store’s employees stopped me and assured me that it was fine. They would take care of cleaning it up. He and a few other of his coworkers then had it cleaned up so quickly. He then went and grabbed a water bottle and handed it to me, saying, “It’s not a smoothie, but hopefully, this will make up for the drink you lost.” I was so shocked by his kindness. He not only tolerated my mess, but he also took steps to enter into my mess. It got me thinking, on a much larger scale, about the willingness Jesus always had to enter into the mess of the people around us and how He enters into our messes today.

Yesterday we looked at a story of Jesus’ interaction with a man who had leprosy in Matthew 8. Today, we will look at this same interaction recorded in Luke 5. A man with leprosy came to Jesus and spoke the words, “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean” (verse 12). This man knew Jesus had the power to heal Him. What he did not know was if He was willing. I imagine that Jesus’ felt an extra measure of compassion for this man after He spoke those words. He responded with the exact words this man needed. I believe the words were not just for him but for us as well. Jesus responded by saying, “I am willing… Be healed!” (verse 13). Immediately the man was healed. Do not miss this beautiful truth. Jesus is not only able to enter our mess, but He brings healing when needed. He is willing to flip the script and change the story. 

Believe it or not, my friend, God cares deeply for you. He cares so deeply for you that He goes to great lengths to get your attention and steps right into your mess. The question is, will you reach out to him for healing?

Moving Toward Action

My friend, this truth that God enters into our mess is truly incredible. Take a few minutes to reflect on this truth. Then, write out a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking God for His willingness to engage with us and even step into our mess. He is a God who deeply cares for you. 

Going Deeper

Luke 5:12-26 (NLT)

In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”