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Mark 8:22-26
What We REALLY Need

What's the best thing that could ever, ever happen to you? I mean, what is the very, very best? Would it be suddenly winning the lottery? Would it be to have perfect health? Would it be to meet the right man or the right woman? Would it be advancement in your job, recognition and reward that would make you feel as if you had accomplished something? You could even be very spiritual – you could say that it would it be for you to be taken out of this world to dwell forever with Jesus (!)?

Maybe I should rephrase the question: do you KNOW what is the very best thing that could happen to you? Maybe you don't really know.  Hopefully, that means you'll leave it to your Lord, and that's good, because He DOES know!

Most of the time, though, for most things, if we're really honest, we have to admit that we think we DO know what's best, and we'd like to get our Lord to agree with us. (i.e. "Lord, I just know it would be best if you let me win the lottery!" Or, "Lord, don't You think I've had this problem long enough? Why don't You just take it away?)

One thing we really do need to know - it's ok to tell our Lord how we feel.  He knows anyway. Besides, He knows how to deal with it. He loves you anyway. He knew all about you from all eternity, so of course He knew what He was getting into with you! And if, knowing you as He always has, He gave Himself on the Cross for you 2,000 years ago, then He'll still love you today even when and if you spout off foolish thoughts about what would be best for you!

In fact, He listens very, very carefully to your prayers, no matter how foolish you may think they are. He may not give you exactly what you ask, but He'll always answer.  And his answer will always be the very best for you from the standpoint of both time and eternity.

Let's try to see in these few verses in Mark how each of us should relate to our Lord as we consider the needs of our lives.

The first thing we can see for sure here is that our Lord does indeed always answer our prayers in the best way possible. The people urged Jesus to touch the blind man. In other words, they prayed. He answered immediately, but not in precisely the way they expected. They were expecting Him to lay His hands upon the man, say a few dramatic words, and sight would be restored.

Instead, Jesus took the man by the hand, deliberately walked him out of the village and away from the crowds, and then dealt with him in a very private, very individualized, and very personal way (the same way He deals with each of us, by the way). Afterwards, He sent the man directly home, telling him not to so much as go through the village at all. The crowds might not see the answer to their "prayers" until days later.

But their prayers were answered - in a way that was best for them and for the blind man, a way that would result in an ongoing relationship between the man and his Savior. That's what Our Lord always wants! He wants our focus to be upon Him when He does His merciful works, not upon excitement or on the crowd. So He took the man by his hand and led him out of the village.

The man could hear. He had heard the people urging Jesus to touch him and heal him. He knew that the Master took him by the hand. He knew he was being led somewhere, though he may not have had any idea where. We don't know whether Jesus said anything more to him as he led him out of the village, but neither are we told that he went unwillingly! It was obvious enough to him that he'd been committed by all his friends to the care of Jesus, so he went along. He entrusted himself to his friends and to Jesus.

It would have been at the very least several minutes before they reached the edge of the village, away from the last houses, so the man undoubtedly had time to think, to wonder what the Rabbi would do, and to reflect on his sightless life up until this time. Then, as they went further and further, and as more and more time went by without any words from Jesus, he probably began to wonder whether anything good at all could come of this adventure.

But, when they'd arrived at a chosen spot, Jesus stopped and placed spittle upon each of the man's eyes, not necessarily because there was any healing virtue in the spittle, but because it made the man abundantly aware that his sightless eyes were still the focus of attention, even after this relatively lengthy trip from the village.

Then, finally, the Master spoke! And, as He spoke, blind eyes began to see! The man probably hadn't seen for a long time, and his mind wasn't able to relate to these new and different signals from his eyes. He began to make out the shapes of the disciples, standing and walking around Jesus, but he couldn't really recognize what they were, and he could only think of them as being something like trees walking about, though he knew they must be men, since he heard them talking. It must have been a little frightening!

But Jesus wanted this man to know the love of Messiah, the love that cared about his feelings and fears, the love that would remain with him always and deal with all his concerns. So He laid His gentle, loving hands upon the man's eyes and brought healing to his mind as well as his eyes, so that he was able to really discern even distant things quite clearly and distinctly!

Once again I think we can conclude something very important: Jesus doesn't always do things the way we expect or desire Him to do them. Sometimes He acts by steps and slowly, when we want Him to act instantly and powerfully. But He's infinitely wise, and His ways are always the best ways, because they always involve bringing us to know Him better, bringing us to an ongoing relationship with Him. He knows that, far more than any other consideration, it is necessary for us to know His love and care for us.

We're like that with our children. We certainly want to supply their needs and take care of their hurts and heartaches, but how much more important it is to us to see them begin to mature, begin to understand and even to believe in us. What a wonderful day it is when a son or daughter says to us, "Dad and Mom, now I see how much you loved me!"

Please realize that our Lord hasn't changed since the time of this incident. He's still the only One Who "heals all our diseases" (Ps.103:3), and He is still sent to "bind up the brokenhearted." (Is. 61:1) But His greatest concern is always our relationship with Him, so He'll be taking care of that need even when it seems as if He's neglecting our other needs - as we perceive them. He has reasons for everything He does, and all His reasons are gracious.

The conclusion to all of this is very, very important.  It's this: we should still pray to Him for the healing of our bodies and souls. But this incident with the blind man also teaches us that, as we pray, we should trust Him for the best way to care for those needs in response to that prayer.

Nor did our Lord's concern for this man end with his healing. If this formerly blind man had gone back to the village, the excitement would have been overwhelming. He didn't need it. What He needed was time to consider the Savior and Lord Who had healed him, and he needed time to quietly rejoice in the One Who had given him a new life. Again, the focus is Jesus, not excitement.

We have such a short view of things! In comparison to eternity, our present lives are short, yet our concerns are always with the here and now and only rarely with eternity. Of course it really is wonderful if we are healed from blindness or deafness, or if the use of an arm or leg is restored to us. But as wonderful as such things are, they're only for a short, short lifetime. We need to keep that in mind, because an eternal relationship to Jesus Christ is far, far more important.

Our Lord takes the long view, and so should we. He's concerned for our greatest good, and, while physical restoration may be a part of His loving concern, the eternal consequences are even more important. A miracle may be just what we need to move us into closer relationship to our Lord. Or, in order to draw us to Himself more effectively, He may find it necessary to let us remain much longer than we'd like in a debilitated - or frustrated, or troubled, or needy - condition. His love is great and constant in either case.

The best possible thing that could happen to you, then, COULD even be the very thing that you're experiencing right now! It may be the very problem you're having in life.

So what should you or I do about it? First, we need to trust Him and pray - because He knows what He's doing and why He's doing it. Secondly, we should seek to learn from Him in it, and thirdly, we should seek to serve and worship Him in it. He loves us! He's more concerned about each of us than we are about ourselves! And He is, after all, trustworthy!

QuoteSo what should you or I do about it? First, we need to trust Him and pray - because He knows what He's doing and why He's doing it. Secondly, we should seek to learn from Him in it, and thirdly, we should seek to serve and worship Him in it. He loves us! He's more concerned about each of us than we are about ourselves! And He is, after all, trustworthy!

Thanks Al.  This is such good advice. "In everything give thanks" ... I love just abiding in Him and He in me ... like being the glove on His hand.  Pliable and surrendered to His will.  A friend of mine has said "The only way to be sure all your prayers will be answered, all the time, is to pray right prayers... Not my will but Thine."

Bless you Al, your expositions are really a great blessing to me and others, thank you for  years of Godly waiting on Him, He is faithful to use you,, a surrendered man.

Thank you C&M and Jane for the encouragement - it certainly helps make it worthwhile.  I do pray He'll make His Word blessed to you.