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When we pray the Lord's prayer, we say Thy will be done-- that's a hard, hard prayer to live out. Someone once said that the trouble with the living sacrifice referenced in Romans 12 is that living sacrifices keep crawling off the altar. We want God's will to be done in our lives, but we often only want that will to be done if it's in-line with our expectations and understandings. We make deals with God, even if we don't admit it. We tell God to do whatever God wants, as long as it's what we expect.
The leper comes to God and asks, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
We've all been sick before. I've certainly spent my share of sick days, and I have asked God to heal me many a day. I don't think I've ever given God an out like this before!
The leper has complete trust in Jesus, even if he's not healed. It reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace -- they're willing to go in and trust God's power, knowing God can save them even if God doesn't save them.
It's a hard thing to trust that God has the ultimate good in store for us, even if that means that in the short run, we might suffer. May we strive for that kind of faith and trust in God!
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