May 23

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And behold a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2-3

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🔊 This is not only the prayer of a sick man; it is the passionate prayer of someone who is convicted of sin.  It is a great prayer, and goes to the very heart of all that we are as human beings.  Don’t be slow to pray it.  We don’t pray this way every day – this kind of prayer is the kind that reaches to the foundations of the hills – Psalm 18:7 – and even the foundation of the world – Psalm 18:15.  This kind of prayer is the laying bare of the deepest thoughts of which we are capable.  It is a thirst for purity at the deepest level.  It is frightening to hear someone pray like this, for they are longing for a change to come in their lives that goes to the roots of their being.  Some people might say, “That kind of thing should have been dealt with early in the Christian life”.  Such a view may be ‘correct’, but is sadly lacking in spiritual reality.  When the Holy Spirit uncovers things about us that we would prefer not to face up to, then we either brush these things aside, or we break, and pray with all our being.  God loves to answer this kind of prayer, and He will answer it more than once.  When your heart is sick with sin, pray for cleansing – don’t justify yourself, just do it.  There are things about us that we cannot understand – all we know is that it is not something we can fully explain.  Go to God, pray with all your heart, and know that He will answer you with a newness that you only dreamed of before.