One man sat alone...

"...The blind man said, 'Rabbi, I want to see.' 'Go,' said Jesus, 'your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."

Mark 10:51-52

Recently I've been meditating on this portion of Scripture. Its the story of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). As Jesus passed through Jericho a blind man kept calling out His name, Jesus stopped and said to call him. Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" and Bartimaeus said, "Rabbi, I want to see." Immediately he received his sight and Jesus replied, "your faith has healed you."

What has stood out to me is that Bartimaeus was specific in his request. All throughout the Scriptures when Jesus healed people, they were specific with their requests. The Centurion said, "Lord my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." (Matthew 8:6) The man with Leprosy came and begged the Lord that He would make him clean of his leprosy. (Mark 1:40-42)

The Lord desires that we are specific in our asking, we cannot just haphazardly pray with no direction. Even as earthly fathers we desire for our children to be specific in their asking (even though I'm not a father yet). If I say, "Son, what would you like for lunch?" and he replies, "whatever." I'm sure that drives a parent crazy. The Lord wants us to be specific in our asking, He gets all the glory when we know that only He could have answered our prayer.

prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus I praise You, I thank You that You have given us Your Word that leads and guides us daily. I pray that You will help us to understand that You are a God who desires to bless His children and answer their prayers, help us to be specific with You because You certainly were specific when You gave Yourself for us on the Cross. I praise You, amen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=756KQx3qbKY