And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord. If you will, you can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2, ESV)

It is amazing how we can receive what we need if we will only ask. According to Luke 5:32 Jesus came on a mission to save the lost and Romans 5:6 confirms that he died to carry that mission out. In Matthew 8:2, a leper had the humility to ask Jesus, likely his only last resort to renewed health, “If you will, you can make me clean.”

Notice the humility in his stance. The leper knelt before Jesus, showing the respect He rightly deserved. This leper also removed assumption from his request. He could have said, “You will heal me because you can make me clean.” However, in his words were the recognition that his ailment was not the center of Jesus’ universe. The leper allowed for the possibility that Jesus would choose, in his eternal wisdom, to not heal his leprosy. But finally, his supreme confidence in Jesus is undeniable. He said to Jesus, “You can make me clean.”

Had any of these elements been different, who knows if the story would have changed. But let us learn to request God with submissiveness, confidence, and a lack of presumption. Jesus is aware of our needs (Matthew 6:32) and has provided for them (Romans 5:8).

Let your light shine!