Longings of a Father

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
Matt 20:29-34

I was reading today in the Gospel of Matthew and came across this passage. The scene all takes place in 6 verses, but it was the words in red that stood out. "What do you want Me to do for you?"

I wonder sometimes...as I have gotten older my prayers don’t seem to be as specific as they were in my youthful days as a believer. Some of it is maturity; I am now smart enough to know that I can’t fool God with manipulative prayers with hidden motives. ( Hiding something from God...now that’s a laugher!) But then I read a passage like this, and think of another red letter comment: "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?" It does make me pause and think, do I think that this question is addressed to me...personally?

These passages indicate one thing to me pretty clearly. God desires for us to walk in His blessing, and that it is more than just some material prosperity message meant to tickle the ears of the greedy. These passages speak of the heart of the Father and His deep love for us. That is real blessing. Yes, I do believe He is asking me...and you, that question.

I have been meditating on the story of the prodigal son lately. In my thoughts, I have found myself thinking more about the father...a father who longed to see that son come up the dirt road, looking with antic- ipation daily, sometimes squinting his eyes, wondering if that was him...Luke says that "while he (the son) was a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him again and again."

It is this longing that I believe our Father has for us. As we rush about with our daily lives, do we take the time to come up the dirt road and let Him ask us: "What do you want Me to do for you?" It sounds totally illogical that we would not pause to do this. Do you think He feels this way about you? I can only conclude from the words of Jesus that He does.

Jesus had such an appointment with a real prodigal in his last hours. As Phillip Yancey tells it:

In one of his last acts before His death, Jesus forgave the thief dangling on a cross, knowing full well the thief had converted out of plain fear. That thief would never study the Bible, never attend synagogue or church, and never make amends to all those he had wronged. He simply said "Jesus remember me," and Jesus promised, "Today you will be with me in paradise." It was another shocking reminder that grace does not depend on what we have done for God but rather what God has done for us.

And here in the dust and the dirt,

O here the lilies of His love appear.
George Herbert

Mark

Prov 17:22