More Than God Promises

Posted by: Kyle Carlson, Pastor of Worship & Prayer, 8/31/11
 

If you're following along in our 40-day plan to listen through the New Testament (and I hope you are!), yesterday you came upon the account in Matthew 8:1-4 where Jesus heals a man with leprosy. On the surface, it is a display of the magnitude of Jesus' power and a revelation of the tenderness of his heart. But there's something lurking beneath the surface waiting to be uncovered. (That sounds sort of creepy, doesn't it? "Lurking" is one of those words that seems uniquely suited for horror stories. I digress.) 

I've always been struck by the demeanor of this weak and dying man. He approaches Jesus with reverence, and presents himself before this healer in full faith in his ability to make him well. I decided to read a few commentaries on this brief passage to gain further insight. In doing so, I came across this paragrah from the great 16th-century reformer, John Calvin:

Whether the leper believed that Christ was the Son of God, or that he had received this power in the same manner as Moses and the other prophets, he entertains no doubt that he held in his hand, and in his power, the gift of healing. True, he speaks conditionally, "If thou art willing, thou art able." But this is not inconsistent with that certainty of faith, which God demands in our prayers: for men ought not to expect more than God promises. The leper had not learned by any inspired communication, or any promise of God, what Christ would do. It would have been improper in him, therefore, to go beyond these limits... He only declares, that he is so fully convinced of the power of Christ, as to entertain no doubt that it is in his power to cure leprosy; and then presents himself to be healed, but uncertain as to the result, because he did not yet know the will of Christ. 

(from his Commentary on Matthew. Emphasis mine.)

Beyond what we see about Jesus in these verses, there are at least two things we can learn from the faith of this leper.

1) We ought to approach the Lord with "full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22), with unswerving confidence in his ability to heal, strengthen, restore, renew, and redeem. Whatever your situation - whether it's sickness, like the man in Matthew 8, or it's broken relationships, fear, lack, or anything else - take heart that you can come before the Lord with boldness, confident that "if he wills, he can make you clean" (Matt. 8:2). 

2) But we must be careful not to demand or expect more than God has promised. The leper had no certainty that Jesus would heal him; only that he was able to heal him if he willed. I wonder how much heartache and disillusionment we have experienced with God because we expected or demanded something that God did not promise. "Lord, why haven't you healed me yet?" "Lord, my marriage is still a wreck, and I've been praying about it for years!" "Lord, why haven't you calmed this storm around me?" Be careful. God hasn't promised healing. He hasn't promised that your painful circumstances will immediately change.

But take heart. What he has promised is infinitely sweeter than quick relief. Hear the words of the Lord:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10