Lo, I am with you

 

When the two blind men cried out saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David, Jesus stood still (Matthew 20:30-32).  Though the multitude rebuked them, as if Jesus had more important and pressing matters to attend to, He still took time for them.  He stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you (Matthew 20:32)?  Hugh Martin says that in the biography of Jesus “we have the very Christ himself - the living Saviour - still speaking to us as never man spake, still going about doing good.”  As Martin puts it, when we read the Bible we deal with Him, and He with us.  He says, “The true and living Christ, present with you - secretly and subjectively present in you by his Spirit - deals with you.  And you in the Spirit deal with the true and living Christ, present with you - ostensibly and objectively present with you - in his own holy word and history.”  He added, “Jesus is here as he was there; here now, as he was there then; Jesus, the same, the same considerate, loving forgiving Saviour; considerate and tender even to your feelings and shame."  

This means that when I call on the Lord Jesus, as the blind men did, I have every reason to believe that there's a sense in which my Saviour, the Lord of glory, stands still. Though there may seem to be other, more important and pressing matters, He lovingly stoops to deal with me.  He has time for me.  The Bible tells me that this is the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).  And His question remains the same today as it was then: “What will ye that I shall do unto you?”

I find that this one question puts everything in perspective. When, in the place of prayer, I hear the voice of Jesus asking, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?” it brings a sense of clarity and focus, as if He were saying, “What one thing would you have Me do for you?” I don’t believe it’s wrong to ask for healing or other lesser things - in fact, I believe it is good to bring everything to the Lord in prayer.  He is our Father.  But when I come, like the blind men, urgently asking for mercy, and Jesus asks that pointed question, it seems as though He is getting to the heart of the matter. In other words, what is most important?  And in those moments, I believe the Spirit helps us to pray, as if placing His finger on the one thing needful.

When the blind men asked that their eyes might be opened the Bible says that Jesus had compassion on them, He touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight.  And then it adds, “and they followed Him (Matthew 20:33-34).”  

Isn’t it wonderful to think that we may approach Jesus as the blind men did?  We may ask the son of David for mercy just as they did!  We may tell Him what we would have Him do for us, and we can be assured that He will have compassion on us.

I recently spent some time in the hospital. That first night, in particular, I was not in great shape physically. Not entirely sure of the outcome, I sent messages to each of my children. As I prayed, this passage came to mind.  I was calling on the Lord, and He seemed to ask, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?”  Of course, I was anxious, and I wanted to be healed.  But another answer came instead.  I was dealing with Him, and He was dealing with me.  Once again, it felt as though He was getting to the heart of the matter. If I could ask for just one thing, what would it be? And then, there was no doubt - I knew what I wanted.

As it turns out, my health has improved, and I am now home. But as for the other request, I have reason to believe that the Spirit who led me to pray as I did will, in time, provide the answer. In His time, He will make all things beautiful. I wonder, what would you tell Him? As you look up into His face, what would you have Him do for you?  Why not tell Him?

But there is something else about this passage and the promise it entails. We don’t have to wait by the side of the road like the blind men did, hoping that Jesus may pass by. He has said, “Lo, I am with you always (Matthew 28:20).” In the hospital, I was reminded that He does indeed make our bed in sickness (Psalm 41:3), that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8), and that communion with Him is many times more precious than silver and gold. Life, health, and resources are good, but He is better. Those of us who know Him can say, “I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good.” As the psalmist says, “Thy lovingkindness is better than life (Psalm 63:3)”; and so, “my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in Thy name.”