As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
(Luke 18:35-43)
I want to do something a little different with the devotion today. I want to lead you in a practice that has been very helpful to me.
Have you ever had those days that you, for no apparent reason, felt in a bad mood? Or you felt anxiety or nervousness and you don’t understand why? How about having the feeling that you “just aren’t right”? Or, you feel “off,” but you don’t know why? If you have, I have something that might help you.
Please stop reading this devotion and go back and read Luke 18:35-42, and place yourself in the position of the blind man. After reading the text from that perspective, close your eyes for a minute and try to imagine what he was feeling each step of the way. Once you’ve done that, continue reading this devotion.
Now that you’re back, I want you to read the Scripture lesson again (I promise, this will be the last time). As you read the lesson this time, I want you to place YOURSELF in the story. Imagine yourself calling out to Jesus, asking for help. Imagine that you hear Jesus calling for you to come to him. And then, (and this is really important), when you stand before Jesus and he asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?” answer the question.
Imagine this encounter taking place in your life today. Jesus is calling for you and when you get to him, he asks you, “What can I do for you today?” How would you answer him? What is it that you need from Jesus right now? – Ponder that for a minute – Once you figure out exactly what you need from Jesus, you might be surprised to see that you just figured out what it was that was making you feel anxious, or angry, or “off”. Encountering Jesus is fertile ground for making this happen.
And know this, you can also trust the Lord to give you what you need to take care of those feelings or that situation, so you can move on and live the rest of the day in the joy that Christ means for you to have.
~ God’s blessings, Dan