What Do You Want Me To Do

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Matthew 20 : 29-34 ESV

This exchange between the blind men and Jesus reflects prayer in its simplest form: two men, recognizing their need, asking Jesus to heal them. Their plea was short, simple, but it was enough to catch His ear: “Lord, have mercy on us.”

I find it interesting that Jesus asked them what they wanted Him to do for them. He already knew what their answer would be because He knew their minds, their hearts, and their infirmity. Though Jesus grasped the depth of their condition, He wanted them to verbalize it. This is prayer. We call out to Him, and He harkens. He listens. And He asks that all-important, life-changing question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

What will your answer be?

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit

Oh, what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

Lyrics by Joseph M. Scriven