30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 18 35-43 THE FAITH OF BARTIMAEUS 10 God is listening to what we are praying for
📖 Luke 18:35-43
09Nov2020 - *God is listening to what we are praying for* - _Luke 18:35-43_ - THE FAITH OF BARTIMAEUS 10 – Bible reading: _Luke 18:41-43_
_Luke 18:41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." Mark 10:51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."_
Bartimaeus was already healed of his real blindness and so the Lord is asking him what he wanted Jesus to do for him. Bartimaeus desired physical sight. The Lord met the desire of his heart and Bartimaeus was able to see, physically.
Bartimaeus was at the summit of his faith in Jesus. He had trusted in Jesus, the Son of David, he was healed internally as the Lord commanded that he be brought to Him. Now he stood before the creator, the God of heaven and earth, and the Master was asking him, what he wanted Him to do for him.
This is where we need to be, in our intimacy with God. The intimacy, where the Lord is asking us what we want Him to do for us.
Bartimaeus asked for sight so that he could follow Jesus. _Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God._
Bartimaeus’ desire and his entire life was all in alignment with the purposes of God.
Solomon saw that the people needed to be judged according to the ways of God, for which, he as the king needed wisdom and knowledge. Solomon’s prayer was aligned to the purposes of God and the Lord was pleased with the prayer of Solomon and gave him what he requested for and even what he did not ask for.
_Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (21) to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen._
The Lord’s heart breaks when our prayers are not aligned with Him and His purposes.
_Mark 4:37-40 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. (38) But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" (39) Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. (40) But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"_
Listen to the prayer of the disciples. They were desperate, yes but just because they were in a desperate situation, could they have prayed in this manner, _"Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"_
They were upset that the Lord was sleeping and not worrying and fretting at the situation as they were. They were questioning if He cared for them at all and then they have already decided that they were perishing when the owner and creator of heaven and earth was on the boat with them.
The disciples should have prayed to ask for faith to overcome their fear.
Isn’t this the attitude with which we are approaching God, especially in a time of crisis, such as what we are experiencing currently, across our world?
God gave man a beautiful world and He made us have dominion over His creation, in His image. We rebelled against God, we became enemies God, we were alienated from Him, we inherited the problem of sin, God’s image in us was marred, we got ourselves to be the salves of the devil and now we are the ones, who are destroying creation, which is agitating and groaning against mankind. This our bad news.
We then have the audacity to question God as to why He has permitted this pandemic to come against us, due to which people are dying all around us.
Our prayer to God ought to be to first repent of the sins of the people, which was/is our rebellion against God, seek His forgiveness for all our people, turn and surrender to Him on behalf of the people and seek for man to be reconciled back to Him.
When man is reconciled back to God, we will be reinstated back to the position to have dominion over God’s creation, in His image, as intended by God in the beginning. The creation will submit to the rule and authority of man, who will be operating in the image of God.
_Numbers 14:26-30 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (27) “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. (28) Say to them, 'As I live,' says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:_
_(29) The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. (30) Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in._
The Israelites should have prayed for courage and faith to go in and possess the land, which God had promised them. Instead, their prayer was a prayer of complaining and whining. God was angry with them.
Today, many of us are praying complaining and whining prayers. We are praying to God to take away our problems. We are not praying for courage and faith to face our challenges, go through our crisis, learn the lessons that He desires for us to learn and then be available in His hands to complete His plans.
*Thought to ponder*
```God is listening to our prayers and often our prayers are so out of sync with God and His purposes.```