“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him (Bartimaeus). The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” Mark 10:51
Lord Jesus, we begin this Friday with needs just as life-altering as Bartimaeus’ blindness. Some of our needs, however, may not be as obvious to us. You know us better than anyone does, and you also know sometimes we want the wrong thing. You never shame us for “miss-asking”—you meet us there and take us to a better understanding. Thank you.
Sometimes we only want our circumstances and people in our lives to change—when our real need is a grace-changed, Spirit-seized heart. Sometimes we want an easier, more predictable life—when our most dire need is to see you and know your very real presence smack-dab in the middle of our storms. Hallelujah, you know what we need before we ask.
So what about us? Jesus, me and my praying friends have different “lists,” but here’s how I respond to your ongoing question to all of us, “What do you want me to do for you?”
I want everyone in my extended family to know you, Jesus—to rest in your mercy, grace, and love. I want to be more kind, non-anxious, and trusting in circumstances I can’t control and with people you haven’t called me to fix. As I age my way into more weakness, I want to be childlike, fun, and horse-laugh more often. I want to get irritated less easily, repent quicker, and encourage more.
Lastly (for today), like “Bart,” I want to see. Jesus, I want to see you more clearly, you at work in all things for my (our) good, and you breaking through the clouds to get here and finish making all things new. So Very Amen.