“Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him.”

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” ― C.S. Lewis: (1898 –November 1963: was a British novelist, poet, academic)

Gospel Text: (LK 18:35-43)

As Jesus approached Jericho

a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,

and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.

They told him,

“Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

The people walking in front rebuked him,

telling him to be silent,

but he kept calling out all the more,

“Son of David, have pity on me!”

Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;

and when he came near, Jesus asked him,

“What do you want me to do for you?”

He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”

Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.”

He immediately received his sight

and followed him, giving glory to God.

When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

In Luke’s Gospel reading today, he tells the story of the blind man calling out to Jesus for help. Within the story, Luke tells how the people walking ahead of Jesus wanted the blind man to be quiet, to stop calling for Jesus. We do not know why the people wanted him to be quiet – perhaps they didn’t want him to make a scene, perhaps they were in a hurry, or perhaps they did not think he was worthy of speaking to Jesus. But, Jesus did, of course, stop and talk with the blind man – and he asked for help – and he was healed.

As I reflect about this passage, it makes we wonder how God must feel when we ask for help. I am inclined to think that he does not view it as a sign of weakness. In fact, I do not think that God wants us to even try to make it on our own. I have this vision of God waiting for us to call out to him, like the blind man, and he rejoices when we do. Asking for help demonstrates a desire to grow and to be the fullest sense of the person that God has intended us to be. It makes me think that within our struggles of day-to-day life that we tend to try to solve on our own, is God saying, “If they would only come to me for help”?