I learned from a Leper

"A man with lepracy came and knelt before him(Jesus) and said, "Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean." -Matthew 8:1-4

I read this verse recently, and it shot me back. We don't know this man's name, but we do know that he knew how to approach Jesus. He did three things that I realized I haven't done in a long, long time. He approached Jesus as the Messiah. He knelt, called Jesus "Lord," and donfessed that only Jesus could clean him.

The first thing Scripture tells us he did was kneel. He knelt. He honored Jesus. He showed Jesus his respect. He made himself lower than Jesus. He knelt. I read this and thought, "When is the last time I knelt before Christ?" There's something so powerful about kneeling. It's a physical posture with so much meaning. When you kneel it means you respect and honor that person, it means that person is above you. You even make yourself suseptible to attack. When is the last time I did this before Jesus?

The second thing he did was he called Jesus "Lord." First, he shows that Jesus is above him, then he confesses it with his lips. When is the last I called Jesus "Lord?" Sure, I pray and say, "Lord, thank you for today." But it's more of a name when I say it. I don't use it to profess that God is Lord of my life. It's like saying "God" and "Lord" are synonamous. Kind of Like Travis and Mr. Williams. Just two names for the same person. But saying "Lord means a lot more than that. It is giving God a position in my life, not just calling Him by another name. When is the last time I called Jesus "Lord?"

Third, the leper acnowledges that only Jesus can heal him. He knows that if Jesus wants to heal him all Jesus has to do is say the word. When is the last time I acknowldged that only Jesus can heal me? Some many times I try to take matters into my own hands, especially when it comes to my reputation. I think, "If I do this than everything will be ok." In other words, I think I can fix myself. I don't rely fully on Christ to heal me. When is the last time I acknowleged that only Christ can heal me?

So after reading this I have an idea. Every day I will get down on my knees, pray to the Lord over my life and all life, and confess that only His Son can heal me. That's what I'm going to do. I will physically get on my knees in prayer. I will put my heart in a place that puts myself lower than God(which I am anyways). And I will acknowledge that, though I try so hard, Christ is the only one who can do anything about my brokeness. And I will tell you, it has changed my prayer life. My prayers are now so much more focused around God. And it all has to do with kneeling, placing God as Lord in my life, and acknowledging that I can't do anything to save myself. I now pray for God to get what He wants out of what I do, rather than me getting what I want out of my day. Try it for yourself and a garuantee you will see a change in yourself and in your prayers.