SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 18: 35-43
FOCUS: “And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,” (Luke 18: 40)
MEMORY VERSE: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4: 8)
When the blind man in our Scripture Reading finally got the attention of Jesus, Jesus commanded him to be brought to Him. Jesus was about to show him mercy, but He began by bringing him closer. Mercy brought the blind man closer. Mercy made room for the man to be close to Jesus. He was yet to achieve what he wanted through Jesus, but he was already brought closer. The mercy of God brought him to a place of closeness.
Friend, when El Roi shows you mercy, He brings you closer to Himself. The mercy of God fuels intimacy. There are times when God would have you come closer to Himself first, before opening the gates of your miracle. There are times when the mercies of God would first change your proximity to Jesus first, before causing your miracle to become your reality. There are times when the mercies of God would literally create more intimacy.
Your miracle may be your priority, but heaven’s priority is to bring you closer than ever before. The goal of heaven is to bring you to a place of more intimacy with Jesus. The goal of heaven is to add fire to your prayer altar. The goal of heaven is to make you more and more like Jesus. The goal of heaven is to make you a spectacle of the glory of God. The goal of heaven is to make you come close enough to the God of your miracle.
If all you achieve is to receive miracles from Jesus and simply walk away, then you have not achieved much. If all you desire is to receive from God and walk away, then you would be missing out on the major issue of intimacy. The more you come closer to Jesus, the more you realize that your biggest prize is to be close to Him. The more you get closer to Jesus, the more you realize that intimacy with Him is bigger than what you receive.
Be intentional to go closer to Jesus, no matter the miracle you seek or do not seek. Get closer to Jesus, for it is your highest prize.
FURTHER READING: JAMES 4
DECLARATION:
- I choose to draw nearer to Jesus; just to be close to you O Lord, in Jesus’ name!