Requesting Well

"...'we want to sit in places of honor next to you'...'I want to see!'..." Mark 10:32-52

One of the most difficult jobs of being a parent is processing what feels like a million requests a day. Multiple kids take the request numbers through the roof. "Can I have...?" "I want..." Can we go...?" fired at us like a machine gun almost always followed up with the never-ending magic word, "please, please, please, please...ple-e-e-e-e-ease." We do our best under the barrage. In our best moments, we recognize some requests are wonderful teaching opportunities and others just make us smile with joy. 

Jesus modeled good request response for us over and over again as we see in the stories for today. James and John wanted honor. Bartimaeus wanted sight. The first request was made right after Jesus told them of his imminent suffering and death. The second request was made after Jesus heard Bartimaeus' confession of faith, "Son of David...!" The first one led to a teaching moment. The second one led to a miracle. All three were forever changed as they followed Jesus down the road.

If you were receiving the personal requests that you are making of Jesus these days, what would they sound like to you? How has Jesus been responding to them? Does the context of your requests or the requests themselves reveal anything about the condition of your heart? Requests are a wonderful opportunity for Jesus to respond to us in ways that help us become more like him. Never forget that the goal for us that has been in the mind of God from the beginning is for us to be like Jesus. As that happens, we get to live the best life possible.

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