One Size Does not Fit All
Opening Prayer
Let me persist in seeking You, always knowing that You are good and all Your intentions for me are good.
Read Matthew 9:27-34
[27] As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” [28] When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. [29] Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; [30] and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” [31] But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. [32] While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. [33] And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” [34] But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How did Jesus respond to the first appeal of the blind men?Why did Jesus not stop there and then in the street to help the blind men, as he had with others who had come to him for help? Why does Jesus appear to ignore them? Is he testing whether they will persevere in their prayer? And why does he decide to deal with them in the privacy of his house (28,29) but heal the demon-possessed man in public (32,33)? The writer of Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t give us answers, but by including different ways that people came to Jesus and the different ways in which Jesus answered their requests, we begin to understand that there isn’t a formula for prayer, nor is there a one-size-fits-all response from Jesus. Jesus deals with each of us according to what he knows about us and according to his own plan and purpose. Sometimes he may want us to persist in prayer. He may answer our requests quietly, in private. At other times he may choose to answer prayer publicly in order to make his power known (33).
Apply
Bring your concerns to Jesus and allow him to respond in his own time and way.
Closing prayer
My beloved Jesus, I trust You and I will bring everything to You in prayer, knowing You will answer.
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