Matt.20:32 – And Jesus stood still
and called them and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
There is something about the nature of
Jesus and the way that He works that insists upon us choosing and being specific.
The two blind men had just cried out for mercy and Jesus had heard them. He
obviously understood that they wanted mercy but, apparently, mercy comes in
drops or showers and it can cover a lot of ground.
What do you want mercy for? Do you want the
mercy that cleanses the soul from any taint of sin that you may have committed?
Do you want the mercy that extends compassion toward you in the form of a meal
to eat or a place to sleep? Do you want the mercy that lifts you out of the
hopeless mindset of the beggar and restores vision and purpose to your
floundering soul? Or, do you want the mercy that heals the diseased condition? What
is your want? What is your desire?
Mercy is general but faith is specific. The cry for mercy
gets God’s attention but the cry of faith gets God’s answer. Mercy moves you in God’s
direction but faith moves God in your direction. God is a Father who wants to
deal with us as mature children. When your adult children want your help, all
they have to do is ask. You won’t necessarily, do it for them; you desire for
them to honour your relationship by asking. In the book of Exodus when God revealed
Himself as, ‘I am that I am’, I believe that He is implying that He will be to
us whatever we need or desire Him to be, all within the confines of his will,
of course. He will meet us on whatever level of faith we are at. Jesus said to
the blind men, ‘What will ye that I shall do unto you?’ I can be a comfort to
you in your blindness, or I can be a healer to you of your blindness. I can be
a provider to you of your daily needs or I can bring you to a place of
providing for your own needs. I can give you a hand-out that will temporarily satisfy
your hunger or I can give you a hand-up that will change your life forever.
It would appear that our choices ultimately
determine both the quality and the direction of our life. We may not be
responsible for all that has happened to us but we are in charge of our response.
In fact, when we analyze the word responsible, we can see that response is
included. Dr. Edwin Cole once said that maturity doesn’t come with age but, maturity
comes with the acceptance of responsibility. If that statement is true, then
every time we respond in obedience to God, every time we respond to pressure
and difficult situations, we grow; we increase our capacity for handling more;
we develop and become more mature.
Whether or not the blind men knew it, when
they asked for sight, they asked to become responsible for their lives. They would
no longer be looking to others for their sustenance but would become
responsible contributors and participants in society.
What are you asking for from the Lord?
Please do not misunderstand me; God is so good and he is way better than we
have known; he will bless us in ways that we would never consider for
ourselves. His mercy will free us from poor choices and neglect, his mercy will
rescue us; he is indeed a Saviour. However, there will come a time in our walk
with him that he will require us to mature by accepting complete responsibility
for our lives. We must stop pointing the finger and blaming others for where we
are at, be it our finances, or our marriage, or any area of our life. There are
some people who constantly blame others; it’s my boss’s fault or, my parents or,
the government or, my church. Enough of that! What will ye? What do you want?
Decide. Choose. Use your power and take action. How long will you hesitate?
Lord, have mercy on us. Give us the mercy
that enables us to take charge of our lives and to accept responsibility to
cooperate with you in the fulfillment of your will and plan for each one of us.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
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