Sunday 4 February 2024

Luke 18:35-43

³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

³⁸ He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Hope for the future is vital to each one of us. The blind man in this story is inspirational because even though his lot in life was tough, he had not given up hope that his life could change for the better.

If the blind man had no hope, he wouldn’t have called out to Jesus for help.

If the blind man had no hope, he would have been silenced when the crowd told him to be quiet.

If the blind man had no hope, he would not have asked Jesus for his deepest desire to be given sight.

Which leads me to consider, in what area have I given up hope or stopped believing that God can change things for the better?

With hope today, I call out to Jesus for help.

With hope today, I refuse to be silenced or intimidated by the voices that tell me to give up.

With hope today, I ask Jesus for my very specific request for change.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of hope. Nothing is too hard for You. Whatever I face today or tomorrow, my life is in Your capable and loving hands.

Written by Shelley Witt