Positioned to Receive

Monday: 19 November, 2012 –– 34th Week of Ordinary Time

Revelation 1:1–4; 2:1–5 / Luke 18:35–43

Positioned to Receive

In other parts of the Gospel Jesus says: Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Matt 7:7,8).

The blind man in today’s Gospel asks Jesus for what he wants. He kept asking. Others discouraged him. He kept asking until he received what he asked.

James tells us:  You do not have, because you do not ask (4:2b).

How often do we really ask Jesus for our heart’s desire? When we ask for something half-heartedly we are not asking out of desire. When we ask, but do not continue to ask, are we not showing that we are not desperate?

This man knew he was blind, and he believed Jesus could do something about it. This man surely thought, “This is my one chance to turn everything around,” and so he kept calling all the more.

How often do we really ask Jesus for our heart’s desire? If we are desperate, we will be unable not to ask. Can we be honest?  What are we passionate about?

All of us are passionate about something. It can be anything from a sports obsession to material possessions to politics to.... knowing God. 

Sometimes God does not give us what we ask.... for our own good. James goes on to say: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (4:3).

I do not mean to say that prayer is a formula, and that if we get it figured out we will always get what we ask for.  I do, however, believe that prayer and true desire are intimately connected, and if we can so turn to the Lord that our passions match his desires for us, our prayers will be answered in amazing ways.  This is what Jesus says: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you (Jn 15:7).

May the Lord give us hearts that are passionate for him, so that we desire what he so graciously wants to give us. And then let’s ask, because our Heavenly Father loves to hear from his children.