And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. – Mark 10:51-52
I’m struck by the simplicity of these verses. Jesus asks, “What do you want?” and the blind man replies, “I want to see.” Jesus restores the man’s sight and the man follows Jesus. Yes, Jesus listens.
Such a simple request, “I want to see.” Initially, I was looking at these verses through the lens of prayer and how even such a simple request receives a response. Yet as I re-read the verses I noticed a couple of words that really caught me: “followed Jesus.”
So the man’s sight was just restored. He didn’t run off to tell his family and friends. He didn’t go off to do all the things he had always wanted to do but couldn’t because he was blind. Instead, he “followed Jesus along the road.”
WOW! Those two words, “followed Jesus” caused me to self-reflect. Do I follow? Yes…mostly…sometimes. Yet if I’m honest, sadly I don’t always follow. I fall short.
However, Jesus always listens. As I start to feel inadequate for not doing something that seems so simple, “follow Jesus,” I can almost hear Jesus asking me, “What do you want?” Through God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I am reminded that He loves me and I can make a simple request, “Please forgive me.” I know through His promises I am forgiven!
Yes, Jesus listens.
Prayer: Our Father, thank you for always listening and for your forgiveness when I fall short of always following You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Contributed by Mari Kreft
Bible Reading
Read Luke 17:11-19 and record any insights you gain here.
Call to Connection
Reflect on the quiet time in your life. When do you stop and listen? Find an extra five minutes today to spend in prayer.
Midweek Worship Engagement: Preparation
Before worship this evening, you may wish to prepare your heart with five short prayer requests. If you like, write down in your own words what you would like to say.
- Pray that God will open your heart to hear what He has to say.
- Pray that you will grow in your awareness of what Jesus has done for you through His sacrifice on the cross.
- Pray that your heart will respond with praise for all God’s blessings in your life.
- Pray that you will be renewed in your commitment to give of yourself in response to God’s grace.
- Pray that you will be motivated to share what you have learned with the world in some small way this week.
Midweek Worship Engagement: Participation
During worship this evening, listen for opportunities to connect your responses with the prompts provided.
