Lately I've been reading through My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, an excellent book
full of meaningful insights and challenges from the author. One of the Biblical
events brought to life in this book is the story of the blind beggar who called
out after Jesus as He passed by (Luke 18:35-43). Despite the crowd’s rebuke
that he should remain silent, the beggar was persistent and kept calling after
Jesus, and, instead of giving up, he “shouted all the more” (Luke 18:39b). According
to Chambers we must be like this beggar and “Persist in the disturbance until
you get face to face with the Lord Himself; do not deify common sense. When
Jesus asks us what we want Him to do for us in regard to the incredible thing
with which we are faced, remember that He does not work in the common sense ways,
but in supernatural ways” (p. 60).
Reading this was a challenge for me to not stop with ordinary
prayers with easily attainable outcomes, but to ask God for the seemingly
miraculous or unattainable things. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Lord wants
us to ask Him for the small things, but I think He also wants us to have faith
like this blind beggar and ask Him for the seemingly ridiculous and impossible
thing, that we may experience His supernatural power in our lives. According to
Chambers, “If it is an impossibility, it is the thing we have to ask” (p. 60).
The blind beggar, when asked by the Lord, “What do you want me to do for you?”
(Luke 18:41), asked Him for the impossible—to receive his sight. And he did!
According to Chambers, “Faith is not in what Jesus says but in
Himself”. I thought this was so true and fitting for many of us today when we
stare into the blackness and mystery of the future, shrouded by uncertainties
and unknowns. There is only one thing that is certain and in which we can hope—the
character of Christ, a man who never changes, more than that, a God who never
fails or forsakes us, His beloved. It is my own self-will that causes me not to
trust Him. My worry is only evidence of the immaturity of my trust in Him and
my forgetfulness to remember Who He
is.
Today, let us remember the goodness and
faithfulness and promised provision of our God and pray for what we think are impossibilities.
References
Chambers,
O. (1997). My utmost for His highest. Uhrichsville,
Ohio: Barbour & Co
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