“And as he entered a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan” (KJV, Luke 17:12-16).
“And as he entered a certain village”
Father, I thank You for the ways in which Christ has pursued me. I thank You that Christ has entered into my heart through faith. However, I recognize that I do not know Christ as I ought, and I pray that You would draw me near to Him. I pray that Christ would visit me from on high. I pray that You would forgive me for my sin and that nothing would get in the way of my relationship with Him.
“there met him ten men that were lepers”
I see the wickedness of sin and my need for cleansing. I see the way in which I have been made to be unclean along with the leper of old. I see in the Gospels many who came to Christ with the desire to be healed. I see in Christ a gracious Savior that desires for me to be made whole. I thank You that one day, sin will be no more. There will be no disease or suffering, and I will stand before You in newness of life.
“which stood afar off”
Father, I pray that You would help me to fight against shame in my life. I see ten shameful men who stood afar off from Jesus. I see in the Garden that when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves. I see the tax collector standing far off pleading for mercy. Father, I pray that You would help me to see Jesus high and lifted up, bearing my shame upon the cross.
“And they lifted up their voices”
Would You teach me to pray, Lord? Would You teach me to lift up my voice, as well? There are times when sin makes me want to be silent. There are times when my heart can grow cold, and in those moments, I often fail to pray. Please, Lord, would You teach me to open my mouth and lift up my voice?
“and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us”
Jesus, You are my Master. But I thank You that You are not a hard taskmaster. I see that You, Lord Jesus, are the One Who came to the earth and dwelled in Nazareth. I see that You, Lord Jesus, are the One Who stooped down to wash Your disciples’ feet. I see in You, Jesus, the God of all creation being made lower than the angels and dying a sinner’s death upon the cross. You endured such hostility against Yourself so that I could be forgiven of my sin. Thank You, Jesus. Please have mercy on me.
“And when he saw them”
Would You look upon my helpless state, Jesus? Would You turn Your gaze my way and give me Your attention? Hear the words of my cries for help. I thank You that You desire to keep a close watch on me. I thank You for the ways in which You guard me and walk with me through the valley of the shadow of death.
“he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests”
Jesus, please tell me how I ought to live and what I ought to do to be pleasing in Your sight. Jesus, please tell me what I ought to do to be pure, holy, and clean. I see that in You, I am clean, pure, and holy. However, I also have a need. I must learn to walk in what You have accomplished and applied to my life. I must learn to be holy in my conduct as You have already made me holy before You.
“And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed”
I see here that the lepers were cleansed as they began to do what You told them to do. I pray that You would give me the faith to apply Your Word to my life. I find that if I do not see quick results, I can often grow weary of trying. I find that I can engage in unbelief if I do not see the outcome that I desired when I applied Your Word. Please help me to endure and not give up. Please help me to remember that if I continue to plant good seed, I will reap a harvest if I do not quit.
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back”
Please help me to never forget what You have done in my life. You have done so much, and I cannot thank You for it all. You have saved me from myself. You have saved me from the wrath of an Almighty God. You have saved me from the fire of hell. You have pulled me out of the pit and set my feet on solid ground. You have taken out my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh. You have put a new song in my mouth. You have given me of Your Spirit.
“and with a loud voice glorified God”
God, You are worthy to be praised. You are the sovereign Creator of the heavens and the earth. You and You alone are God, and besides You, there is no other. You have ordered and directed my steps, and my life is in the palms of Your hands. You are the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.
Teach me to raise my voice and worship You as I ought. Teach me to be bold in my faith and assured of my salvation. You are deserving of much praise and a life of worship.
“And fell down on his face at his feet”
Teach me to humble myself before You. I see in Your Word a great need to come to You in humility. I need Your grace in my life, and I pray that You would teach me to look upon Christ as my example of humility. Teach me to see the way in which Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Teach me to see my Savior giving up His glory to come to the earth as a man and to live as a servant. Teach me to cherish the fact that Christ humbled Himself unto death, even death on a cross. Teach me to walk in His ways and to recognize that humility always comes with a cross.
“giving him thanks”
Thank You, Jesus, for cleansing me from sin. Thank You for loving me enough to die for me. For a righteous person, perhaps one would dare to die, but I see in myself much unrighteousness that was not worthy of Your death. Nevertheless, You saw fit to die for me that I might have life. Please teach me to be forever thankful for what You have done. Thank You for uniting me with Yourself and for imparting Your life to me that I might bear much fruit and prove to be Your disciple.
“and he was a Samaritan”
I was once an outcast and undeserving of Your love. I was once like the Samaritan, on the outside looking in. Jesus, I thank You that You came to seek and to save the lost. I thank You that, like this Samaritan, You have caused me to be thankful for what You have done. I pray that You would keep me thankful. I also pray that You would help me to grow in gratitude. You have sought me in my helpless state, and now that I have been found, You will keep me until the end. In Jesus’ name, Amen.