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When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. Behold, a leper came to him and worshiped him, saying, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean." Jesus stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be made clean." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1–3 WEB.

An outcast waited by the roadside, hoping to see Jesus. He was a leper and had a terrible skin disease that couldn't be hidden. Lepers were considered "unclean," and you were not to touch them, or you would become defiled. They had to live outside of the city and were often grouped together. This leper came to Jesus and humbly knelt before Him. Then, he said, "Lord, if You want to, You can make me clean."

The Lord Jesus reached out His hand, touched the unclean man, and said, "I want to." His leprosy vanished. His shame and pain were healed. Jesus touched the outcast and restored his life while the others looked on in amazement.

In the Old Testament, lepers were put outside of the camp (Numbers 5:2). There were intricately detailed laws about showing themselves to the priests (Leviticus 13:49). If a leper touched someone, even a priest, they became unclean as well. It was originally to help control the spread of disease, but later, it became more of a social class.

Jesus healed the lepers in the New Testament, sometimes ten at once (Luke 17:17). This was new. Under the old law, the priest couldn't touch someone diseased. Under the new, Jesus touched and healed them because He wanted to.

If you are an outsider today, know that Jesus still touches the outcasts. He restores them because He wants to. Yet, you need to humbly ask Him like the man in the story. Jesus healed those who came to Him and asked. While many others just walked on by, too overwhelmed with their problems. Leprosy was considered incurable, but this man humbly came and knelt before Jesus. Like the centurion, this leper believed and said, "Lord, You can heal me."

When you are sick, humbly ask the Lord to heal you. If He doesn't, you are no worse off. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Sometimes, He may take us through it for our education, but other times, He will take it away completely because He wants to.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to You today and ask that You have mercy on me. Lord, please restore me and help me become the best version of myself. Replace my desires with Yours. If You want, Lord, You can make me clean. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” James 5:13 ~ If you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network. If you are interested in joining the prayer team, here is how to get started Prayer Partners.