“As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” Then he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, I want to see.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.” Luke 18:35-43
Of all the millions of words written in the Bible, few have as much impact on me as these five. “Lord, I want to see.”
Jesus looks at each one of us, asking, “What do you want Me to do for you?” So often we respond with a list like one a child would bring to Santa’s lap. “I need this and this” “I want this and this oh and that too.” What if we respond the same way as this blind man? “Lord, I want to see.”
So many times, we read these words and think of the physical healing and restoration of sight to this man. But, go deeper into the spiritual realm. “Lord, I want to see” and Jesus restores the man’s eyes of faith.
We all know the words, “Was blind, but now I see” and I’ve featured “And Now my Lifesong sings” on Praise Monday feature, with the words, “I once was blind but now I see.”
We are given clear vision to see the depths of God and His Divine Mercy. Then, we blind ourselves in our sin. Like stabbing our own eyes out, we commit sin after sin. We become blind to what God had to give us. We can’t see His love and Mercy, we can’t see Him though He stands right before us. We have to ask those around us what is happening. Then, Jesus approaches and He asks what He can do. In our blindness, we run down that list of healings, miracles and other signs. When instead, He wants to heal our ‘vision’ and restore our ability to see Him.
It only takes our faith and a touch to have our “sight” restored. The vision God wants most to restore is our eyes of faith. Do you cry out to the Lord, “Lord, I want to see!”? Ask with a heart of faith. Hear Jesus answer, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” Then, run out and glorify the Lord, telling everyone “I once was blind, but now I see, I don’t know how, but when He touched me, now I see.”