Topic: Recover Your Vision with Prayer
āThey said to him, āLord, let our eyes be opened.ā And Jesus . . . touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.āĀ Mathew 20:33-34 (ESV)
Rick Warren Devotional 27 July 2021 Daily Hope
How is your perspective these days? You may be living with a sense of contentment and gratitude. If thatās youāgreat! But if youāre stuck in a negative pattern of thinking and have lost your sense of direction, God wants you to recover your vision.
But it will only happen with prayer.
Maybe youāre locked into a habit, hurt, or hang-up, and you canāt see your way out of it. Maybe itās an unhealthy relationship, a bad attitude, or a way of living. No matter what it is,Ā with prayer, you can recover your vision and see things youāve never seen before.
Thereās a story in theĀ BibleĀ about two blind men who recovered their sight when they prayed. The Bible says,Ā āAnd when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, āLord,Ā have mercy on us!āāĀ (Matthew 20:30Ā ESV). This was a passionate prayer, like King Hezekiahās prayer from yesterdayās devotional.
But the crowd told the blind men to be silent. So they prayed even louder, and Jesus stopped and asked,Ā āWhat do you want me to do for you?āĀ (Matthew 20:32Ā ESV). I love that. Jesus let them set the agenda. And heāll let you do the same. He wants you to tell him what you need. And any time you tell Jesus something, youāre praying.
Then they answered,Ā āāLord, let our eyes be opened.ā And Jesus . . . touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed himāĀ (Mathew 20:33-34 ESV).
Doesnāt that sound like a good pattern? You pray, recover, and follow Jesus. You start looking at life from Godās viewpoint, and you see things youāve never seen before. You seeĀ your spouse, friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers asĀ valuable, acceptable, and forgivable.Ā You also see those things about yourself. Your entire perspective changes.
The Bible says inĀ Mark 6:34,Ā āWhen Jesus . . . saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherdāĀ (NIV). Thatās the way Jesus sees peopleāwith compassion. And he wants to recover your compassion for yourself, your loved ones, your community, your country, and the rest of the world.
Ask God to restore your vision so you can follow him and see people the way Jesus does.
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