Matthew 20:29-34, "As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd was following. Two blind men who were sitting by the road heard that Jesus was passing by, so they began to shout, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!” The crowd scolded them and told them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Son of David! Have mercy on us, sir!” Jesus stopped and called them. “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?” He asked them. “Sir,” they answered, “WE WANT YOU TO GIVE US OUR SIGHT!” Jesus had pity on them and touched their eyes; at once they were able to see and they followed Him." (GNT)
I am definitely one of those people who can aggravate your very last nerve when it comes to buying me gifts. I usually get the question, "What do you want for your birthday, or anniversary, or graduation, or Mother’s Day, or Christmas?" And the least appreciated answer goes something like this, "I don't know. Anything is fine. Whatever you want to get me." That's usually what I say. However, for my family that can be quite stressful. You see, what they’re hoping for is something a little more specific. Something that will give them guidance in getting that special gift just for me. I rather not give any specifics and just wait and see if my gifts will say ‘Me’?
Now, one of my best friends Delores is a different story altogether! She is always very helpful when it comes to receiving Christmas gifts (in particular). And to prove to you just how crazy she can make some of us when we do our ‘girlfriends gift exchange’, I want you to envision a full page list (typed out and double-spaced), with model numbers, colors, sizes, page numbers, brand names, stores (and even their specific one day only sale dates), and all of this is received at least 3 months in advance! Yeah, it was pretty specific, pretty direct, but at least we always knew exactly what she wanted! No guess work needed or required!
Which brings us to Matthew 20, and I'll begin reading verses 29-34, "And as they were going out of Jericho, a great throng accompanied Him. And behold, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David! The crowds reproved them and told them to keep still; but they cried out all the more, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David! And Jesus stopped and called them, and asked; What do you want Me to do for you? They answered Him, Lord; we want our eyes to be opened! And Jesus, in pity, touched their eyes; and instantly they received their sight and followed Him." (AMPC)
I love this! The first face they would see would be Jesus and they followed Him from then on!
As we hear this story, we are actually looking at three secrets of prayer that get a miracle response! You might be able to use that, right?
First Of All, When You Make A Request To The Lord And You Want To Get A Miracle It Needs To Be PERSISTENT. Notice, they said, "Lord have pity and mercy on us," and when they were told to be quiet they just kept at it: “Lord, have pity and mercy on us,” for the second time. The word “Persistent” is defined as “continuing or recurring; prolonged; longer than usual time; beyond the normal period of time; continuing without change in function or structure; continuing beyond the usual, expected or normal time; not stopping or going away.” And my favorite definition reads: “continuing to do something or to try to do something even though it is difficult or other people want to stop you.” Its synonyms are “insistent; persevering; certain; dedicated; determined; resolute; resolved; unyielding; willful; unfaltering; unhesitating; unwavering; resistant; devoted; faithful; constant; steadfast; unconquerable; relentless; unbending.” And doesn’t that describe these blind men perfectly?
They're stubborn in their request. This reminds me of children (which I better understand why we need child-like faith). They are the epitome of Persistent! If they dare tell you (in full detail) what they want for Christmas, you better believe they will keep asking about it all the way up to Christmas morning! “Did you get it; did you find it; remember the color is; the size is; it’s at this store only.” They want to make sure you don’t mess this up and get it wrong! After all, your full credibility as a parent with direct connections to Santa is riding on this! Children do not play with Christmas gifts, and if only we as adults were this persistent when approaching God in prayer with our requests! Look at these men, even after being told to be quiet, they repeat their request! They could care less about what people say, think or feel about them. They could care less of the opinions of others. They could care less how desperate they sound. They need to receive something from Jesus, and they intend to get it, even if they have to face enemies as they entreat. I mean listen to these people in varying translations:
“Many people spoke SHARP WORDS to them. They told the blind men not to call out. But they called all the more…” (NLV);
“Be quiet! The crowd YELLED at them. But they only shouted louder…” (NLT)
The crowd scolded them; criticized them; rebuked them; hushed them; spoke sternly to them; warned them; used sharp words to them and yelled at them!
Let’s be honest, this is an intimidating scene! First of all there’s a crowd (some translations say a multitude or many people), however, these were only 2 men (and blind ones at that!) This may sound a little harsh, but these people could’ve beaten these men to death! They were a vulnerable part of society. Not to mention they were clearly not taken care of by family since they were sitting there by themselves, by the road, having to plead for their own mercy and miracles! But did that stop them…intimidate them…cause them to fear for their lives? Absolutely Not! And clearly it didn’t stop them from crying out either! And not just crying out, but doing it repetitively, and getting “louder more and more”! They had to get to Jesus to get their sight and if that required some naysayers, they would persevere through and get their request granted! And these people weren’t just “mean”, but remember, they “scolded; criticized; rebuked hushed; were stern; spoke sharply and even yelled” at these men. But did it hinder them? NOPE! They cried all the louder! People of God; don’t let anything or anyone silence your cry to God! No one really knows the depth of what you’re going through but you and God, so their opinions are irrelevant! The more they try to silence you, the louder you shout! You have a need that has absolutely nothing to do with them, so don’t let them stop you! Be Persistent! Persistent prayer brings miracles! You need this too bad, and for too long, to get to this point (of being this close to getting it) to allow critics to stifle your cry! When you go in prayer (public or private petition) you throw everything you have in you on the line! Snot, cry, yell, but don’t you dare sit quietly by and get passed by!
Verse 33 gives us a second secret because they were very BOLD. When the Lord said, "What do you want Me to do," they said, "WE WANT OUR SIGHT." This is something so big only God could do it! I Wonder, When's The Last Time You Asked God For Something Huge; Trusting God For Something So Big Only He Could Do It? You see, they weren’t asking for someone to help them along; someone to help them eat and get dressed, and go from one place to another. No, they weren’t looking for something that any mere man could do. They were requesting what only God could do! This brings to mind a question that came up in one of my bible school classes, “Is Jesus the only One to ever restore sight to the blind?” And one professor responded like this: “As far as I can tell, there is no record or any instance of anyone other than Jesus restoring sight to the blind (and this He apparently did quite a bit in fulfillment of the prophecies about Him as the Messiah: Luke 7:21, “At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and He restored sight to many who were blind.” (NLT); Isaiah 42:7, “You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.” (NLT); Matthew 11:5, “the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (NLT); Matthew 12:22, “Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.” (NLT). Matthew 10:1 does say regarding the twelve: "Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness" (AMP) - that may or may not have included restoration of sight. We do have instances of the dead being raised by men other than the Lord (Example: Elijah, Elisha, Peter, and Paul), so this is indeed an interesting point. It may be that such instances just were not recorded (as indeed most instances of healing were not put down in scripture for obvious reasons of space: John 21:25, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were recorded one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” AMP).
But there is also the fact that it is only in Jesus that our spiritual blindness is removed: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, “Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage, and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted; BECAUSE IT IS REMOVED [ONLY] IN CHRIST. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.” AMP).
Jesus made a definite point of contrasting the restoration of physical sight to those who believe with the spiritual blindness of those who possessed physical sight: (Read John 9:1-41). As the One who is the Light by which we see (Read: John 1:4-9), the restoration of human vision is a very powerful symbol of accepting the truth which, once accepted, not only removes our spiritual blindness but brings us to eternal life(Psalm 146:8, “The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous [the upright in heart]” (AMP); Isaiah 29:18, “On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see [the words of the book]” (AMP); Isaiah 35:5, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” (AMP).
If there were any others who restored sight, it seems likely to me that the Spirit has chosen for this reason to preserve in scripture only the instances performed by Him who is the Light of life, through whom, though we were blind, we now see.”
I’ll never forget that class or that professor! But it makes me wonder if in prayer we’re bold enough to be like these blind men and take what the world may see as “hard and impossible” to our God who asks: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 AMPC); “But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.” (Matthew 19:26 AMPC); “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” (Luke 1:37 AMPC).
So, just how persistent, big and bold will you pray from now on? Especially knowing that you can take the hard and impossible to a God for whom nothing is hard or impossible! Therefore, starting today, pray Persistent, Big and Bold! Ask the hard thing! And be Specific! Don’t be afraid! Ask God to heal the adultery in your marriage; the substance abuse in your children; your fear of tithing because of your bills and debt. Take to Him specifically what the doctors diagnosed! Jesus is not afraid of Cancer; Heart Failure; Diabetes; Arthritis; Hypertension; Sickle Cell Anemia; HIV or Aids! He Can Heal Anything, So Take Everything to Him! He has no fear in regards to your mistakes and even your deliberate sin. He can handle the divorce; the unemployment; the church transition; the foreclosure; the bankruptcy; the child support (and even lack thereof). Why struggle with fear, fret, panic, anxiety worry, stress; anguish and the like, when you could simply enter your prayer closet (the one that you make anywhere, including a bathroom stall at work!) Block out people who try to discourage you with such statement as “nobody has ever survived that; or my dad died from that same exact thing; or boy you must be out of your mind to think God will do that; or girl you may as well throw in the towel because not even Jesus can clean this mess up!” Be like the blind men, when you can’t see Jesus, listen for Him, and when you hear Him, make sure He hears you! Open Your Mouth Therein Lies Your Miracle!
Jesus loves these kinds of prayers: Persistent, Big and Bold!
And lastly, let's focus on the one secret of prayer that we miss all too often. In verse 32Jesus says, "What do you want Me to do for you?" It seems like such an obvious answer though, don’t you think? I mean after all, here are two BLIND men! And Jesus heals BLIND people! However, the blind men say instead, "Lord, have mercy on us." And there’s nothing wrong with that, but Jesus says, "Well, tell Me exactly what you want Me to do?" This brings us to our third characteristic of prayer that gets miracles and that’s praying SPECIFICALLY! See, these guys had already made a GENERAL request, "Lord, have mercy," but Jesus insists that they narrow down their request and tell Him EXACTLY what they want, SPECIFICALLY. And when they do, Jesus responds with a miracle!
The word “Specific” is defined as: “clearly defined or identified; precise or clear; relating to a particular individual or situation; a definite reference; limited to one particular thing; exact; detailed; intended; distinctive; unique; designated; explicit.” This is what your prayers need to sound like!
See, too often our prayers are like those vague answers I give my family in regards to buying gifts for me, "Anything will be fine, and anything you pick out or pick up is alright by me." We talk to God about "give me a blessing," "I need an answer," "send help!" or some GENERAL spiritual request. And I wonder if Jesus is standing there asking, "Well, like what? What are you asking Me for?" In fact it's really expanded my praying to imagine Jesus standing there as I pray, saying, "Okay, J.P., what do you Specifically want Me to do for you?"
I learned not to just ask God to bless my marriage, but I’ve learned to take specifics about my marriage to Him. I no longer just say “Lord, keep my children safe.” But I’ve learned to pray “Lord, keep my children safe not just from others, but from their own imaginations; desires; wants; lusts; insecurities; immaturity”, and the like. I don’t just say “Lord bless my finances.” But “Lord, bless me to be a good steward over the finances that you have provided for me. Help me to be disciplined in my spending and saving…” I don’t want to be like the blind men sitting by the road yelling Lord have pity and mercy on me, when my specific request is, “I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME MY SIGHT!”
Now it isn't that He doesn't know what the need is. He just wants us to know what we believe Him for! Listen to Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [SPECIFIC] REQUESTS known to God." (AMP) God honors specific faith! Not demands, but requests that are always under the umbrella under which even Jesus Himself prayed, "Not My will but Yours, Lord." Coming to God persistently, daring to believe Him for big, bold, specific requests touches His heart! As a sidebar: That Scripture says, "...CONTINUE TO MAKE YOUR [SPECIFIC] REQUESTS KNOWN TO GOD" Not to the psychic; not to the horoscopes; not to your friends and family; not even to your little prayer circle. Make Your Specific Requests Know to GOD! This means, you may need to stop talking to people so much, and start talking to God more!
Listen to our text in the Message Bible: “As they were leaving Jericho, a huge crowd followed. Suddenly they came upon two blind men sitting alongside the road. When they heard it was Jesus passing, they cried out, “Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!” The crowd tried to hush them up, but they got all the louder, crying, “Master, have mercy on us! Mercy, Son of David!” Jesus stopped and called over, “What do you want from Me?” They said, “Master, we want our eyes opened. We want to see!” Deeply moved, Jesus touched their eyes. They had their sight back that very instant, and joined the procession.” (MSG)
Jesus was “…Deeply Moved…” by their request, and He is just as “…Deeply Moved…” by yours…especially when it’s Specific!
You know what I also find interesting as well? Once they make a persistent, big, bold and specific request of Jesus; once their request is granted; they “…joined the procession.” This is the SAME CROWD of critics that tried to mess up their miracle! This is why you can’t be deterred by your critics. Let God’s work in your life be what silences those who tried to silence you! Think about it: Two blind men shouting to get their sight silenced those who tried to shut them up…isn’t God amusing!
Let today be the day your prayer life takes on a new dynamic. One that is specific in its nature. One that goes to God KNOWING He hears and He answers! SEE to it today that you Make Your Prayer Request Specific! You Have NOTHING to Lose And EVERYTHING to Gain!
Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray [WITH SPECIFIC REQUESTS] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.” (AMP);
Blessings
J.P. Olson
www.thewordwithjpolson.com
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