When Seeing is More than Sight
And Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight, your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight and followed him. (Luke 18:42-43)
Luke 18; Mk. 10:46-52; Lk. 1:78-79; Jn. 8:12, 10:27
What Is God Saying?
Luke gives us some prime examples of the poverty of pride in earthly riches and the riches of a humble spirit (ch. 18). First, the Pharisee who trusted in themself and despised others, vis-à-vis the tax gatherer. The Pharisee prays as if God should be honored by their prayers. They missed the joy of God's mercy. The tax gatherer could only say, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." He discovered the joyful secret that those who humble themself will be exalted. Then, we have the tender love of Jesus toward little children and the reminder that the childlike will occupy Heaven. Then, there is the rich young ruler, who is ruled by riches. Finally, there is the man who was blind, Bartimaeus. When his sight was restored, neither pride nor riches would keep him from following Jesus.
How Does This Apply To Us?
The worst blindness is when we refuse to see. The deepest poverty is when we believe we neither need nor want the blessing of God's presence. Until we join the Lord in the way he shows and the way he goes, we continue alone in darkness.
Pray With Me
How often, Jesus, I have called you Lord and Master, but am I always aware of what this means and what it calls for? In this story of a man who received his sight, I am reminded that you are the Lord of all seeing. Those who can see should follow you, walking in your way, doing what you say, loving as you love, trusting in your wisdom, and being obedient to your will. If I have received the gift of spiritual sight, may I use it for the purpose of following you.
By your grace, Bartimaeus knew he was in the presence of the Lord of all power and all mercy. The dark cloud was drawn aside, and faith became sight. Lord, even as he, receiving sight, followed You, so may I use all your gifts in the service of your love. To see you truly is to love you. To love you truly is to follow you. Let these eyes be open to behold the glory of God and dedicated to the pursuit of all loveliness and purity and truth.
Through the tender mercy of God, by whom the Dayspring from on high has come to all who sit in darkness. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer is a time of seeing. It is seeing our real needs and our real problems, our real strengths and our real potential-seeing it all in the light of God's grace. It is a time of seeing what God wants to do about it and will do about it, if we let him. Prayer is also a time of receiving. It is receiving the empowerment of his Spirit, the strength of his love, and the inexpressible joy of faith. Go for it. Follow Him.
