A lot of people wait for God to act in their lives before they start to obey him. This shouldn’t be the case. It’s best to first obey and then expect God to intervene.
In Luke 17 we read the story of ten lepers who came to Jesus at a distance pleading with him to heal them. The text says, “When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed” (Lk 17:14). Note that as they went they were healed. This means that they had to obey Jesus’ command before they were healed.
I have heard countless stories of people who were sick, and after seeking healing from everyone and everywhere but God (see Mk 5:25–34), they finally cried out to God, “Lord, please heal me! If you heal me I’ll be faithful to you!” In many of those cases God does heal, but there’s a better way.
This story in Luke is an excellent reminder that in times that we desperately need God’s rescue, it is always best to first obey Jesus. In times of impossibly difficult circumstances; in times of desperation and strife; during times in which we can do nothing but cry out to God for help, the first thing we need to do is be sure that we’re obeying him at every point. This is a necessary step of restoration.
Are you suffering and wondering where God is? The first thing it check is your obedience and loyalty to him.
Note that when the Lepers plead for Jesus to intervene for them, they cry out “Have mercy!” (Lk 17:13). Healing comes not as a reward for obedience, or something that God owes us because we obeyed. Rather, healing comes because God is merciful and wishes for us to participate in his plan and design for our best lives in Jesus.
Leprosy, like sin, is merciless. It relentlessly destroys lives. It creates a permanent separation between friends, family and healthy community. Jesus is not like this. Jesus has mercy (also see Lk 18:38–39). When we set our lives in a direction that causes all kinds of systemic problems and suffering, Jesus doesn’t say to us, “You have to now lay in the bed you made.” He could say this, but he doesn’t. Rather, he has mercy. He intervenes out of compassion with forgiveness. He has the authority to punish, but he chooses mercy.
Working towards restoration and healing is not hard. It begins with complete obedience. Obedience is where healing begins.
