Ask And Receive

Ask and Receive

Read: Mark 10:46-52

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Mark 10:51

“Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom.”

—Charles Spurgeon

IN WORD Why did Jesus ask this? A blind man is screaming at the top of his lungs for Jesus to have mercy on him. The need seems pretty obvious. But the Son of the Omniscient, the very One who had “seen” the entire sordid past of a woman at a well, asked the noisy blind fellow what he wanted. Why?

Because it is important for the blind man, and for us, to ask for His help. To assume that God will meet our needs without our asking, even though He often does, is to desire a Savior and Provider without the “bother” of a relationship with Him.

“You do not have because you do not ask God,” writes James (4:2). Jesus says clearly, “Everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:8). In fact, many of His parables are about asking—persistent, bold, specific asking. Just as many rebuked blind Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet, many will tell us that being specific in prayer is unspiritual or theologically misguided. With Bartimaeus, and with us, Jesus overrules their objection.

IN DEED So Jesus insists on specific requests, even though He knows all of our needs before we even ask. Perhaps He insists so we’ll recognize His answer when it comes—a gift specifically from Him and specifically for us. Perhaps it is so that when the answer comes we will clearly see how His will differs from our own limited vision. Perhaps it is so we will remember, having voiced our request, to give thanks when it is granted. Perhaps the asking and receiving witness to the world in a way that the presumption of providence would not.

We wonder sometimes why God has not met a certain need. Our first step, often neglected, is to be specific. We must ask.