What do you want Jesus to do for you?
November 12, 2016This blog is the third in a series written by guest blogger, Susan Weber:
It’s November and time to start Christmas shopping. My first step is to ask my children and grandchildren what they want for Christmas. It isn’t a hard question for them and they certainly have long lists. However, when I’m asked that question, I have to think. At my age, there aren’t many things I need and that question is more difficult to answer.
Jesus asked a similar question in Matthew 20:29-34. Author, Mark Batterson, refers to this story in his books, The Circle Maker and Draw the Circle. Batterson relates how Jesus was leaving Jericho and a large crowd was following Him, and along the way, two blind beggars called out and asked Him for mercy. Jesus stopped and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” I agree with Batterson that the answer is fairly obvious: they need their sight restored.
Batterson then challenges the reader with that same scenario. How would you respond if Jesus asked you the same question? I had to think, just like when asked what I wanted for Christmas. I was baffled. Jesus wasn’t asking for a wish list from these men; He knew their deepest need and with compassion touched their eyes and healed them. God isn’t asking for a wish list from me either. But He does want me to be attuned to His will. He wants me to know Him so well that I am asking for the things He wants to give me. However, most of the time I am too busy living my life to think about what it is that God wants me to have. Therefore, I don’t know how to respond to this question.
That can be a problem. In James 4:2, James tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask.” That leads me to consider what blessing from God am I missing because I never claimed a specific promise or asked for a certain gift. Just as the blind beggars could not physically see, I am often blinded to the opportunities God has set before me. I fill my day with good things, but miss the best things that God has to offer. I do not ask because I never stop to consider that God may have something special for me and I need to ask for it.
I am still processing these verses. I have found Paul’s prayer for the Philippians to be a source of encouragement. Paul prayed that their love would abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that they might approve the things that are excellent (Philippians 1:9-10). So that is what I ask of God today. I ask for knowledge and insight to choose the best and not just the good. As I pray, I see God at work. He has closed some doors that I’ve always walked through and opened others I have never approached. As I pray for wisdom, the things I need to ask for become clearer.
-Sue Weber
Note: Praise to God and thanks to all who joined me in prayer for my son’s job. He was offered a position last week. The details of the job match many of my specific requests. The Lord answered abundantly as He promised and in His timing.
More important, however, than answered prayer, is what I have learned about the Lord through this time. My prayer time is enriched and my aim in prayer is to know Him better. I agree with Paul that nothing is as important as knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8).