I sat astonished at the thought of Jesus and the question
that he asked. The question he asked of his disciples. The question that he
asked of the broken hearted, the blind. The question he asks of us, today.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Mark 10: 36, 51 (ESV).
Imagine the God of all the universe asking what do you need?
Now, we understand that God knows our needs before we ask, and yet, here is
Jesus offering “what do you want me to do for you?”
He asked this of John and James when they came boldly to him
and wanted the seats on the left and right of the throne of God. Very bold
request.
Jesus dug deeper. “Are you able to drink the cup …?” he asked
them.
“Yes,” they answered.
“The cup that I drink you will drink … but to sit at my
right hand or at my left is not mine to grant.”
Jesus met their need and gave them what they wanted, a place
of honor. For to drink from the cup that Jesus drank from, to endure the
persecution, the pain, the agony, is to be honored. The last shall be first,
and the first shall be last. Servant of all.
Then Jesus asked Bartimaeus the blind man this same
question. “What do you want me to do for you?”
Bartimaeus, who had called out to Jesus from the crowd, knew
that Jesus could help him. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
Jesus asked his question, and the blind man named his need.
The question Jesus asked isn’t a genie in the bottle that
you rub, and he grants your wishes. No, it is a searching light that lays open
the deep places in our hearts. It rummages through the superficial and gets to
the exact spot.
Whether we come boldly or whether we come blindly to Jesus
with our needs and desires, he is willing to meet us there. Right there at that
place in our souls.
So, hear the Lord Jesus ask, “What do you want me to do for you?”
and let the Holy Spirit search your heart for the answer. You might be
surprised.
Our Father,
Search us and try us. Show us any need that might be
hindering our relationship with you or others. Meet us where we stand. Thank you
that you love us enough to ask the questions we can’t.
In Jesus’s mighty name,
Amen
Finding God’s grace,
Bonita Y. McCoy
www.bonitaymccoy.com
www.courageouswriters.com
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