DEVOTION – DAY 279

Mark 10:51-52 “Praying For The Right Thing”

 

Mark 10:51-52 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you,” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

 

A blind man called Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside begging and heard that Jesus was approaching. He shouted to Jesus for mercy and Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted. He went straight to the point and asked that he be given his eyesight. In Mark 10, there were two instances where people asked Jesus for something and Jesus replied with the same question, “What do you want me to do for you?” We find this in Mark 10:36 and 10:51. In Mark 10:36, Jesus did not grant what the people wanted of Him. But when Bartimaeus requested for the gift of eyesight, Jesus granted his wish immediately.

 

Why was one request rejected and the other request granted? The reason was because the first request involved two of his disciples, James and John. They wanted Jesus to give them positions of prestige and power. Their requests were selfish and worldly and that was why Jesus did not grant them what they wanted. In the case of Bartimaeus, his request was simply one of restoring him to wholeness as a human being – a request that was understandable and reasonable. Jesus is always merciful and gracious and He did not hesitate to grant Bartimaeus his request.

 

Today, people also go to the Lord with many prayer requests. Some are answered and some remain unanswered.  Some requests are plainly against His will – when we ask Him to bless a union between a Christian and an unbeliever. Or if we ask Him to help us to win the lottery and we even tell Him we will then give half of the winnings to charity. These are requests that goes against His character and Will for us and He would never answer such requests.

 

A missionary in Thailand had to make frequent trips to Laos or Cambodia in order to extend his visitor’s pass to remain in Thailand. He prayed that his regular border trips would not arouse the suspicion of the Immigration authorities and the Lord answered his prayers for a number of years. This missionary prayed to the Lord to help him find a longer-term solution because he could not continue to renew his stay in Thailand indefinitely in this way. He would be ultimately found out and face being barred from entering Thailand. Since he knew that God had work for him to do in Thailand, God would hear his prayers. God opened the way for this missionary to apply for a permanent visa to remain in Thailand and his application was approved. Many had prayed for his application.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege of presenting our prayer requests before you. Please help us always to pray with righteous motives and to trust that you hear and answer prayers. We ask this in the matchless name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What kind of prayers do you present to the Lord? Are they intercessory prayers for others, prayers for your own well-being, prayers that are selfish?
  2. How may you change the way you pray as a result of this devotion?
  3. The blind man trusted that Jesus was the Messiah and only He could heal his blindness. When you present your prayer requests before the Lord, what should your attitude towards Jesus be?