THE CRY

As I was reading the pages of my Bible this morning I observed the following, when Jesus walked through the crowds they pushed and grabbed at him. I noticed whenever he stopped to speak with someone who was crying out he would ask, “what do you want me to do”. For example , in Luke 18:35-43 there was a blind beggar who heard that Jesus was passing by. The beggar began to cry out and others in the crowd tried to silence him, yet he cried out all the more. When Jesus made his way over to the beggar he asks him , “what do you want me to do for you?”

If I was in the crowd I probably would have said, “it’s kind of obvious ”. I think that’s the point. It is obvious what the blind beggar wanted, yet Jesus took the time to stop and ask him. Jesus gave him the chance to make his request known. Jesus opened the door for conversation and relationship.

ASSUMPTIONS

Its interesting how we seldom like when others make assumptions about us or about what we want or how we feel. Yet when it comes to God we seem to bank on the idea that God knows all. So instead of telling God what we want, we instead ramble on in prayer about how discontented we are. Rather than expressing our needs, we tell God our dislikes. Why explain what we want when he already knows right? So instead we vent. Now there is nothing wrong with venting our frustrations to God but we must also remember to say what we need. When we fail to do so, we miss out on a deeper connection experienced through prayer. We may not tell others what we need because we know they are limited and in some cases can’t give us what we need. Nevertheless this is not the case when It comes to God. He can give us what we need. With that understanding, we express our trust in his ability to provide by saying clearly what we need.

HE CARES

We are reminded in scripture to caste our cares on the Lord for he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). This casting of our cares is actualized through prayer. In prayer we can speak openly and freely with God. Disclosing to him our most intimate thoughts, we can unloading our anxiety and frustrations during prayer and tell him what we need and want. Think of the relief you experience when someone lends you a listening ear. Now imagine that listening ear is God’s ear.

Unlike our loved ones who in most cases can only offer a listening ear, God however offers us so much more than that. Let’s have a look once more at the story with the blind beggar. Once the beggar stated his request to Jesus, the story does not end there. After hearing the request of the blind beggar Jesus says in the most simplest of words, “ alright receive your sight your faith has healed you, and immediately the man gained his sight “ (Luke18:42-43 NLT).

MAKE A REQUEST

So what is it that you want? As Paul says make your request known to God ,have you? Or are you guilty of reciting a long lists of things you don’t like rather than asking for the things you want and need? Take an inventory of your prayer and examine it. Have you truly made a request or have just vented? By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6-7), he can handle it.