How to Pray

"And behold, a leper came to Him, and knelt before Him saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." Matthew 8:2 ESV

We can learn a lot about prayer through the simple approach of this leper to Christ - How he sought Christ, knelt before Him, submitted his own desires to Christ's will, and asked in faith.

Although he was physically numb to the world around him, the leper recognized his need for healing, seeking the Healer. There can be a tendency in life to "hope that things will get better", but what if God is waiting for us to "ask Him for things to get better?" This is often be the beginning of prayer - in realizing we have a need and seeking out the Lord.

Secondly, the leper knelt before Christ. Like Isaiah who had an overwhelming realization of God's glory in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-4), this leper knew his place before His Creator, Saviour and Great Physician. He acted in a way that portrayed humility before the Lord, therefore, putting Christ in His rightful place. When we bring our request before the Lord, we should also recognize the position He holds as Lord in our life. Remember the death we've been saved from - the mercy we've been shown, and the grace He keeps pouring in our lives, yet also the Holy and righteous God He is. Know who you are asking.

Thirdly, the Leper asked "if you will", projecting trust that God's plan was best. He wasn't demanding or bargaining with Christ, yet he simply laid His request for the Lord to measure alongside the will of the Father. 1 John 5:14 says "And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." When praying, do we continually push our own way, or are we looking to place our will in His own?

Finally, the outcast of society made an incredible statement of faith - "you can make me clean." Perhaps he'd seen the healings, maybe he had heard, but he had total faith. Remember that God "is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. Eph 3:20." It seems easier to waver back and forth on whether God will actually fulfil requests or not, rather than simply recognize and have faith that he absolutely can and will if it's according to His plan.

In recognizing his need and coming to Christ, in kneeling and therefore acknowledging Christ's place, in trusting the Lord's plan by submitting to His will, and in having complete faith, it comes as no surprise that the healing hand of the Lord stretched forward in restoration. Let this be an example in how we come before the Lord in prayer.

"God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." 1 Corinthians 1:27