The fame of Jesus is spreading. The word is getting around that this man seems to be able to heal any disease. So, it’s not surprising that a man afflicted with leprosy — one of the worst and most contagious diseases of that time — seeks Jesus out for a healing. The man demonstrates his faith in Jesus with a simple statement:

“Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2, Mark 1:40, Luke 5:12)

Jesus reaches out His hand and touches the man (obviously, He’s not afraid of catching the disease) and replies, “I will: be thou clean.” Immediately, the leprosy departs from the man. (Matthew 8:3, Mark 1:41-42, Luke 5:13). Praise the Lord!

How did this healing occur? The key points are in the brief conversation between them:

• The man acknowledges that he believes that Jesus can heal him (“thou canst make me clean”)
• The man understands that Jesus must agree to do it (“Lord, if thou wilt”)
• Jesus agrees to heal him (“I will”) and it’s done (“be thou clean”)

In this particular case, the man received exactly what he asked for. Suppose for a moment that Jesus decided, for whatever reason, to not grant the healing. Would this have changed what the man believed? Probably not. He may have been disappointed at not being healed, but based on the way he worded his request, it would appear that he still would have believed that Jesus was capable of doing it.

Our level of belief today needs to be the same. If we are going to approach the Lord with a request for anything, whether a physical healing or any other type of divine intervention, we must be able to state unequivocally — to ourselves and to Him — that we believe that He can do this. Will He do it? That’s up to Him.

If we’re not careful, this distinction can sometimes trip us up when we pray. Rather than putting our faith in God’s power (“I know that God can do this”) we may be tempted to put our faith in the outcome (“He’s going to do what I want”). Then, when the outcome is not what we want, our faith is shaken, and we may well conclude that maybe He’s not all that capable after all, rather than that He chose not to intervene in that particular case (perhaps for some good reason that we won’t know about until later).

How do we maintain confidence that God can do anything? Well, if you’re aware of any modern-day miracles that God has performed, especially for the type of situation you are dealing with, think about those miracles. Then, bring your situation to the Lord with those in mind, and see if He will choose to intervene on your behalf. The more confident you are in His ability, the more often the results will be favorable.

A few weeks ago, I shared a testimony of someone being healed instantly from Covid after a prayer was offered. I’m also aware of another Covid-related testimony that lines up well with the scripture quoted earlier in this article. I wasn’t personally involved in this particular miracle, but I’m happy to share it, as I think it’s important that we are all aware of what God is doing so that we can maintain our confidence that God can do anything — no disease of the body or mind is greater than our God.

A few months ago, a husband and wife, both of whom are members of the Church, were severely afflicted with Covid. They were at home, getting sicker and sicker, and it didn’t look like they were going to recover. Two of our ministers felt God’s direction and boldly went to this home (not afraid of catching the disease) and anointed the brother and sister. By the next morning, the couple’s health had improved dramatically, and they both recovered from the disease. We praise God for this!

Whatever your situation, God can remedy it. Make sure you believe that with all your heart, and then approach Him to intervene on your behalf. Will He intervene? That’s up to Him. However, it’s often the case that even when we don’t get the exact miracle that we’re asking for, God still provides in some way to ease the burden, so don’t hesitate to put your situation in His hands.

Trust in the Lord for all things. He’s our Can-Do God.

“Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace”  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3:17)

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.