Vol. 16 No. 18 | May 6, 2013
Luke records the story of Jesus healing a blind man in chapter 18,
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:35-43, NIV)
If you were blind what would you want God to do for you? That is what Jesus asked this blind man. “What do you want me to do for you?” Somewhere in the the depths of our soul we know how we would respond to that question. We may be reluctant to ask, we may be embarrassed to ask, or we may think God does not want us to ask, but if I am reading the story correctly, God wants us to ask.
Here are three lessons that seem to emerge from this story:
We all have that one request we want to make of the Lord.
“Lord, I want to see.”
“Lord, I want to hear.”
“Lord, I want to be healed.”
“Lord, I want to be a good parent.”
“Lord, I want to save my marriage.”
“Lord, I want to be able to help more people.”
“Lord, I want a job.”
“Lord, I want someone to love me.”
“Lord, I want to be forgiven.”
“Lord, I want peace.”
“Lord, I want to know I’m saved.”
“Lord, I want to make a difference in the world.”
“Lord, I want to really live again.”
We need to make the request.
Why not take a moment right now and present your request to the Lord. (Philippians 4:6-8) Get with a friend. Or, get alone. Get with God and lay it all out. Yes, He already knows before you ask. Ask anyway. Pour your heart out to Him. Tell Him what you want Him to do for you.
We need to praise God when our request is granted.
The blind beggar did. The people around him did. The blind man in John 11 did. The people around him did not. When He grants you the request thank Him, praise Him, share what He has done.
God is ready and willing to hear your request. And, He is ready and willing to grant your request in His time and His way. When He does, rejoice and praise Him.
Tom
© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.