What Do You Want?

Today's meditation comes from Marks Gospel, and has been a part of my life's meditation for many years - the healing of Bartimaeus.

Mark 10:46-52 NIV:

[46] "Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. [47] When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
[48] Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

[49] Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” [50] Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

[51] “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

[52] “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."

This has been one of my favorite stories for many years, and one I come back to over and over. There is so much that I like, from Bartimaeus's perseverance, to Jesus hearing and stopping. The main point of this all though is the question Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" I was always struck by this verse, for one would think that the answer to that question is obvious, he was blind!

I love that the Lord asked anyway, and that is a good lesson for us. The Lord will not assume anything, but is waiting for us to ask. This is not some controlling trick, where He only will give us what we ask for, and only if we ask in a certain way, but rather is based out of His love for us and respect for our free will. God, even though He knows our every thought, will not break our free will. Because of this, we are in control of our lives and eternal destiny, it is our choice. Even in the daily interactions God will always honor our free will, loving us but waiting for our choice, waiting for us to choose His way. He will do everything He can to make the way clear, to show us which choice to make, but it is always our choice.

This does not mean that if we stop praying we will starve, or anything like that, for the Lord has established work and employment as a means of provision. Just like He has provided each of us with families and friends that we might be loved and cared for daily, but rather this relates to the interactions we have with God.

Jesus taught us to pray - told us to ask for daily bread, for forgiveness, for protection, for God's Kingdom to be established here, to praise God in all things. These should be part of our conversations with God, daily if possible. Our asking God, opens the door for Him to move in our lives. If we need to experience God's touch, love, mercy, forgiveness, healing, miracle or compassion, we need to ask. He is the ultimate respecter of us, of our will and personhood. Bartimaeus could have asked for anything, wealth, riches, new clothes, all of which would have given him a better life, but he asked to be healed of his blindness, which opened the door for Jesus to move and heal him.

So let us be encouraged to ask, to cry out to the Lord. Let us continue to cry out to the Lord, and not be swayed by those who say He can't be bothered with such mundane stuff as our needs. Let us pursue God's interaction, and when He asks what He can do for us, let us have an answer that is beautiful and courageous. When Bartimaeus chose to ask for healing, he was laying down his whole identity and crying out for a new life. Let us not be afraid of change and transformation, but ask the Lord to move in power and completeness.

Come Lord Jesus. You have what I need, help me to ask.