Possessing What Has Been Given

Apr 14, 2019Written Devotionals

41” saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” 42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”    Luke 18:41-42    NKJV     

This is the famous story of the blind man who was begging outside of Jericho as Jesus was passing through.  He cries out for mercy and Jesus calls for him to be brought to Him.  It is a great story where we see Jesus delivering the man and restoring his sight, but there is an important aspect to this miracle that we often overlook. 

When you read the verses above two things should strike you as a little out of the ordinary.  First is the question that Jesus asks when they bring the blind beggar to Jesus.  His question is “What do you want me to do for you?”  It seems that if a blind man was brought to you that the answer would be self-evident, so why did Jesus ask the question?  The second thing is the rejoinder made by the blind man to Jesus’ question.  Think about it. If Jesus asked me that question, my response would be, “I want you to heal my eyes!  I want you to restore my sight!”  But that is not what the man’s response was.  He asked that he may be able to receive his sight. 

This unusual exchange is very revealing and the two are tied together.  First, remember that this blind man was a beggar.  He had spent his life begging and when He heard Jesus was there, He believed Him to be the Messiah.  That is evident by his referring to Jesus as the Son of David.  Jesus sees the man has faith, but He needs to put the man in a position of operating in that faith.  The power of God does not move through our begging, but rather through our faith.  Jesus asks the question so that the man can make a statement of faith. That way he can operate in faith instead of his customary begging. 

When Jesus asked the man what he wanted Jesus to do for him, the man did not say, “Heal me!”  At that moment the beggar realized in faith what we so often forget or fail to realize. The promises of deliverance are already established for us, we just have to possess them.  The blind man realized that he had a part to play in his healing.  He had to possess what was already his.  To beg was to ask God for something that He had already given.  He needed the faith and strength to receive what was already his.  He asked for the strength through Jesus to receive what was already his.  That is an amazing statement of faith.  He said that He knew it was his already; he just needed strength to receive it. 

Your promises are greater than this blind man’s because Jesus had not yet established His final victory at the cross and with His resurrection.  What is your need today?  Jesus has already provided for it, you just need to grab it and possess it.  He has already given you the strength to do so.  Stand on the Word and do not yield until you possess your deliverance in Jesus! 

J Todd Hostetler

www.cityonahillTC.org

Donate

Archives

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This