Luke 18: 35-43
Jesus stops when a blind man calls to him from the side of the road. He asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” He answers the man’s prayer at that moment, in front of the crowd of people.
This verse is an example of the kind of prayer I have been thinking a lot about lately. If the man had not asked, would his sight have been restored that day? So, his choice (free will) to call out to Jesus with his request, led to his prayer being answered. I am so moved by this way of thinking about prayer. God has given us free will, and that includes the freedom and encouragement to ask for what we need, in prayer. God hears our prayers. Many times they are directly answered. I won’t try to paraphrase C.S. Lewis here, but this reframing comes from one of his books. It (very recently) helped me to look at scripture about prayer in a different way.
Lord above, you have blessed me beyond measure. I ask for peace today, in my heart and in the hearts of those who are hurting and feel like things will not get better for them. Help me to help others with kindness and compassion. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Amen
Becky, transforming