The Undiscouraged Leper

Dear Pastor, Preacher, or Bible Teacher –

God be with you on this Monday! I don’t know if you preached or taught the Bible this last weekend, but I wanted to bring you this encouraging word from Matthew 8:12:

When He had come down from the mountain,
great multitudes followed Him.
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying,
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

As pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers, we all know that Jesus did many amazing miracles. Today, think for a moment about this leper. We read here that he came to Jesus, he worshipped Jesus, and he asked Jesus to heal him.

Here is a simple thought: this leper came to Jesus despite many discouragements. Think about the reasons he had to be discouraged:

• He knew how terrible his problem was.
• He knew that other people gave up on him as having a hopeless condition.
• He came alone, having no one who would or could take him to Jesus.
• He had no previous example of Jesus healing a leper to give him hope.
• He had no promise that Jesus would heal him.
• He had no invitation from Jesus or the disciples.
• He must have felt ashamed and alone in the crowd.

This leper fought off all these discouragements and came to Jesus, worshipped Him, and asked Jesus for a miracle to meet his need.

As we serve God, there are many discouragements along the way. Sometimes I think that “discouragement” is the sharpest tool the devil uses against God’s servants.

But the next time you feel so discouraged, remember this leper who battled through every discouragement to come to Jesus, worship Him, and receive from Jesus. Then remember that you have many, many more reasons for encouragement than that leper ever had!

• You know how bad your problems are; you have also seen the power of Jesus win the victory many times.
• You know other people have given up on you; but you also know Jesus has never given up on you.
• You may feel alone in your problem, but you know Jesus is with you.
• You have many examples of Jesus powerfully working for His servants.
• You have many precious promises from Jesus to encourage you.
• You have an invitation to the throne of grace in your time of need.
• You have many others who know your difficulty and stand beside you.

Sure, you have reasons to be discouraged – but you have many more reasons to be encouraged. Lord Jesus, help us to walk in the strength of your encouraging promises!

Blessings to You in Jesus’ Name – David Guzik

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