Luke 18:40-43 
When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”

Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too. (NLT)

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“I’m afraid to ask, but . . .” 

How many conversations have you heard that began like this?

Some people are hard to talk to, not because of facts and details, but because of pugnacity and obstinacy. 

There are also people like the man in these verses who are not afraid to ask for what they need. Indeed, they are almost impossible to deny. Sometimes, this is exactly the right approach. 

Jesus was on his way to the cross. He would not pass this way again. This was the blind man’s only opportunity to see Jesus. And since he couldn’t see, he employed the capacity he did have to ask for what he did not. 

He shouted toward Jesus. He shouted to Jesus. Others tried to shout him down, but he would not be denied the opportunity of a lifetime. In all the shouting going on, Jesus could have missed that one voice, but he didn’t.

Jesus “stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him.” 

What would those words sound like to you if you couldn’t see, and Jesus could make you whole?

“Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’”

Jesus did not assume what the man wanted. Some people don’t want what they need. Instead, they want what they can get. A handout today beats a job tomorrow. 

This man was not playing games. He was not looking for handouts. 

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”

And so he did. 

“All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”

If Jesus were passing by close enough for you to touch him, for him to hear you, what would you ask from him?

Jesus’ little brother, James, wrote years later, “you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you only want what will give you pleasure,” (James 4:2, 3). 

How to pray in faith: 
* Tell God what you need. Needs are superior to wants. They are of a different status altogether.
* Tell God what you want. Clarify for yourself if what you want honors God and serves others. If it does, ask him for it. 
* Tell God what you think about him and give him thanks for all he has already done for you, for all he has made possible. 
* Tell God how you trust him and how you are depending on him as you get up and get moving in the direction of his purpose for your life.

Never hesitate to ask God for what you truly need. He loves to say Yes. 

Never hesitate to ask God for what you want when what you desire helps people see how good he is and how what you ask for benefits others.

Never hesitate to praise God for who he is and to thank him for all he does.

Never hesitate to declare your trust in him and to delight in his mission for your life.

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I will pray in faith.

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Our Father, I bring my needs to you in faith. I bring my desires to you. I trust you to answer my prayers better than I pray them. I trust you to do for me what I cannot do for myself. I trust your plan for my life. You are my Shepherd. You are our Father in heaven. You are good, gracious, and kind. I trust your heart in all things. Thank you for your never-ending kindness and perfect love. Amen.