The Difference between Can and Will

Matthew 8:1-3 1WHEN JESUS came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him.  2And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me by curing me.  3And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed.

This leper came to Jesus, knowing all the great miracles Jesus had performed, knowing that Jesus had been going around the country healing the sick, and said, “I know you can heal, but will you heal me?”  Have you ever felt like that? We know that God can do anything. Ephesians 3:20 tells us 20Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—Knowing that He can and knowing that He will are two different things. 

If we look a little farther in Matthew 8:5-9 & 13 we see the story of the centurion.  5As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him,  6And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and distressed with intense pains.   7And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him.  8But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured.  9For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it…. 13Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very moment. The centurion  came to Jesus and asked if He would be willing to come and heal his servant. As soon as Jesus said “yes I will”, the he said “Never mind coming to my house, just speak the word and he will be healed.” The soldier never questioned whether or not Jesus could heal, he just wanted to know if He would heal. When he was convinced that Jesus would heal he was able to release his faith and see the miraculous happen in his servant’s life.  In what areas of our lives do we need to be convinced that God will? Are we looking at our finances saying, “I know you can prosper me, but will you?” Are we looking at sickness in our bodies and saying, “I know you can heal me, but will you?” Are we looking at a messed up relationship saying, “I know You can restore, but will you?” We have to be convinced that it is indeed His will for us to prosper, to walk in health and wholeness, and to have complete restoration in every area of our lives. How do we convince ourselves? By finding the promises of God in the Word and holding fast to those promises. The more we meditate on His Word, the more our minds will be persuaded that God is not only able but willing to pour out His blessings upon us. Just like the centurion, when we know that He will, we will open the door for our faith to obtain the miraculous in our lives.