“What do you want me to do for you?” Luke 18:41
Bartimaeus was sitting at the side of the road, shouting out to Jesus. What did he want? Was he looking for sympathy? Did he want Jesus to toss him a few coins?
Bartimaeus starts out vaguely: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” That’s buckshot. It was a general prayer offered in the hopes that he might hit something: “If there’s anything you can do for me, I’d be grateful.”
Too much prayer is like buckshot—sprayed all over, hoping to hit something. Jesus wants you to pray like an archer firing at a target: “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus says, “Lord, I want to see,” and that was the turning point of his life.
Some people feel that they don’t know how to pray. You don’t know what to ask for. You feel that you need someone else to put it into words for you.
Imagine going to the doctor’s office. The doctor walks in and says, “It’s good to see you again. Now, what can I do for you today?” You answer, “Well, I’ve been having these terrible headaches lately, and I’m having trouble sleeping.” You are perfectly capable of telling the doctor what is wrong with you, even if you do not fully know the problem.
You can tell Him where the pain is, and you can tell Him what the symptoms are, and if you would speak to Jesus about the needs of your soul like you speak to the doctor about the condition of your body, it would transform your life.
Are you ready to talk to Jesus about the needs of your soul?
