"Lord I Want To See!"

During my study time today I read this:

Matthew 20: 29-34 As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

“Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.

But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him. (Emphasis mine)

This hit me so hard! I felt these blind men’s cries deep inside of me. I immediately cried out too, “Lord, I want to see too! Touch my eyes and remove any logs or hindrances that are blinding me. If you will only touch my eyes I would be able to see your will for my life and then I will follow you to the ends of the earth!”

I don’t know about you but living in this busy world sometimes I find that my vision can get a little blurred or obstructed by my emotions, offenses, hurts, responsibilities, or even ministry work. Maybe its temptation, hidden sin, selfish desires, or compromise that has crept in and is trying to blind us. Whatever it is we need to remember that Jesus is just a holler away. We need to cry out to Him in the middle of our crowded life, “Lord, Son of David have mercy on me!”

Of course there will always be hindering spirits (shame, condemnation, unworthiness, lust,fear, heaviness, depression) that will try to oppress us and keep us from crying out. But shout out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!!”

I promise that He WILL stop and ask, “What do you want me to do for you?” That’s your chance to tell Him, “Lord, I want to see! I want to see where you want me to go. What you want me to do. Who you want me to see today. I want to see your plan for my life, not my own. I want to see with new eyes. Your eyes Lord..”

He will open our eyes to see things we could have never seen before with all of the obstructions in the way. Fresh revelations and new insight can be ours if we stop and ask the Lord to open our eyes to see what He wants us to see. Once our eyes are truly opened to see we can avoid these obstacles that serve to blind us and we can put our focus on helping others. I think Brandon Heath says best in His song..

‘Give me your eyes’

He WILL Restore Your Family

I do a bible study in a prison work release center every two weeks. I have a heart for these women because I know what it is like to be where they are. The work release center that I volunteer at just so happens to be the work release that I spent the last part of my prison sentence at. Every time I get down the street from the center I begin to rejoice and praise God because I remember clearly the feelings that I had when I was there. I was concerned about how it would be when I got home. How would my daughter be with me? Would she love me? I had lost everything that meant anything to me my home, car, husband, and daughter. I was going through a divorce while I was in the center. I was scared. Although I knew with all of my heart that our Lord had a mighty plan for my life I wondered if I would have a family of my own again or would it be just me and my precious Angelica?

I had no idea the wonderful things that our Lord had prepared for me. He has blessed me above and beyond what I ever asked for, beyond what I deserve. I am not worthy of the many gifts that He has bestowed on me. I have a beautiful family now. I have a smart, handsome, and determined husband who from the day that we meet had a heart for me like no other man I had ever known before. He loved my daughter from day one and accepted her as his own. Very quickly we were blessed with our first child together. After that the children just kept coming. We had a son a couple years later. Then just two years ago we had our twins. Did I mention that he also already had two children from his first marriage? That’s seven!

I like what Psalm 127: 3-5 says..

“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.”

I tell my sisters in Christ at the work release center that God is in the business of restoring families. He does not want to have our children scattered abroad. He wants us to have them with us so that we can teach them to love and obey Him so that they will have a future and a hope in Christ Jesus. He has commanded us to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His commands (His Word) and to teach our children also about His Word. He wants us to teach them to reverence Him. We are to teach them not just by talking about right living but being living examples that they can follow, living testimonies. This is our responsibility. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 4:9-10)

This past Monday when I went to the center I was teaching on God’s faithfulness and I was telling our sisters how our Lord will restore to them what they lost in their years of disobedience and rebellion. He will help them to get their lives back and it will be better than before because now they have the power of the Holy Spirit helping them. I gave each of the girls a scripture to look up. When I got to the third girl and she read her scripture and she began to cry because it was exactly what she needed to hear. Since before she went to prison she hasn’t had any contact with her young daughter and her family. The 29th is her birthday and she is full of sadness because she sees the other women getting mail and visitation but she doesn't gets either. She feels left out of her family. The scripture I asked her to read was Joel 2:25

“The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.”

I know that the Lord will restore her family just like He restored mine. Just like He will restore someone’s family who will read this, who has been asking God for the strength and the wisdom to bring their family back together again. He will!! Just be obedient.

“But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. And though you started with little, you will end with much.” Job 8:5-7

Brothers and sisters be blessed and encouraged by His Words..