If you are willing…

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”
Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
Mark 1:40-42

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If you are willing…

While I know and understand that, for many, believing Jesus is ABLE to answer prayers is difficult, my struggle has been believing He is WILLING. Is He willing to heal, willing to walk along side in difficult times, willing to hear my heart’s cry?

What causes Him to be willing? Is there a special way of asking, a certain prayer posture, an acceptable heart-itude? But that would mean there is a performance requirement for prayers to be answered. Is there? I’m not recalling any Scriptural evidence of that. I don’t believe that in the Scripture above having leprosy and kneeling in front of Jesus were required for Him to be willing to grant the man’s prayer.

It would also seem that a performance requirement is a way of trying to make Jesus just a more-powerful me – that I can manipulate or control or satisfy a secret requirement. So I don’t think that is it.

Clearly, the man with leprosy believed Jesus was ABLE to heal him and make him clean. He called on the heart of Jesus, called out the compassion of Jesus.  In fact, called into question the compassion of Jesus.  Some translations of the above verse say that Jesus was indignant at the man’s request.

Age-old question. Why does it appear that Jesus is willing in some situations, and unwilling in others? I don’t know. What I do know from Scripture is that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His heart for us is unchanging. I know He intercedes with God for us (Romans 8:34). I know Jesus weeps for us, has compassion on us, seeks us, hears us, loves us enough to go to the Cross for us.

I don’t know how to reconcile what I know from Scripture with what can appear to be unwillingness. The only place I can land is that my breadth and depth of understanding is very limited. Now I know in part and see only as a reflection in a mirror, but the day is coming when I shall know fully even as I am fully known (I Corinthians 13:9, 12).

If you are willing…

“Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24