Walk On

And as they went, they were cleansed. Luke 17:14b (NIV)

What is something in your life that you would like to be healed from?

This was a question asked during a service that I attended a number of years ago. I remember sitting there and feeling like it was a loaded question; maybe even a trick question!  Physically, there was nothing that I was currently dealing with.  But I decided to respond to the question with a condition that has plagued me since I could remember.  Something that has kept me isolated and even bound at times. 

Can you relate?

I kept the response to myself, and I did not respond to the invitation to be prayed over at the end of the service that night.  Instead, I prayed for other women and believed for their healing.  As time has moved forward through the years, I have tried to handle this in my own power and strength. Sadly, as you can guess, it has not worked.

It wasn’t until December of 2022 when I discovered how to handle the chronic condition plaguing me. Let’s read in Luke 17:11-14(NIV) together:

            Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  When he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

I know this is a familiar story to many.  This was one of Jesus’s more unique healings. Many of his healings were recorded as happening immediately. But not in this case. It was not a surprise that He would decide to give healing in this way. Earlier in the chapter, Luke records an urgent request by the apostles to Jesus as he writes, “....Increase our faith!”(Luke 17:5)  And that’s exactly what Jesus taught them in performing this miracle! The 10 men that called out to him were plagued with a horrible and contagious skin disease that affects the skin, eyes, respiratory mucosa, and nerves. It is caused by a bacteria, and can be a chronic infection. These men were considered outcasts in the culture of that day. They lived in isolation. To be declared healed and free to live anywhere, lepers had to be cleared by priests (Leviticus 13:2-3, 14:2-32).

And what did Jesus do? He listened to them, saw them, and gave them a plan for healing.

Jesus listened to the loud cry of these outcasts, and even one of them was a Samaritan (verse 16). Really, He listened to both of the requests made so far in this chapter; the first made by his apostles, and the second by the 10 lepers. Then He saw them and gave them a plan for healing, which was to simply, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (verse 14a).

You see, I am learning up close and personal that healing is not always an immediate thing. In fact, it seems more likely that it might not be. It requires us to trust, obey, and move in faith. Healing can occur as we “move along” (verse 14b).

So what did I do when the Holy Spirit kindly gave me this amazing illumination of Luke 17:11-14 back in December?  I started:

PRAYING.

TRUSTING.

OBEYING.

WALKING ON.

Walk on with me and let’s believe together for the healing that He has for us!

Lacing up my walking shoes,

Lindsey