Today's Passage - Matthew 20:29-34

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Matthew 20:29-34   As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.   Physically speaking, these two are just blind men sitting beside the road, but from spiritual perspective they have great faith, because they know how to plead with the Lord. We can see some principles from their prayer. First, they recognize that Jesus is the Son of David, which is the Messiah that God has promised. When you plead with God, you must know God first. This is not just "knowing" as in knowledge, but it's conviction from deep down in the spirit. Not only did these two blind men cry out to the Son of David, they also know in their hearts that Messiah can save them. Many come before God to pray, but they don't have much faith in God whom they pray to or what they're praying for. It is no wonder that their prayers are often not answered.   Second, they know how to pray by holding on to God's mercy. For prayers to be effective, not only should we plead earnestly, we should also know how to hold on to God's promises. A long time ago, my daughter was learning how to cook with a recipe at home. I promised to cook with her one night, but it was busy in the office that day and some people came to talk to me at night. At around six my daughter called to remind me that I was supposed to cook with her that night, and I told her I was busy and it'd have to be some other day. Then she said "but daddy, you promised me!" So I ended up cancelling all appointments and went home to cook with her. If she only asked me to go home and cook with her, I might have just said we should just do it some other time, but when she said "you promised me", I had no choice to comply.   This is much like our prayer life - If we just casually ask, perhaps God will say "let's just wait." When we know how to hold on to his word and promises to plead with Him, He will have to answer our prayer in His wonderful will. Do you know how to pray and how to hold on to God's promises? In our life, we must bring all things before God, not only to pray to Him but also to hold on to His promises and plead with Him according to His mercy. Is there anything you need in your life? Just bravely bring everything before the Lord and plead with Him, because He loves hear and answer your prayer!     Pray with Pastor Tong     Lord, I thank you because are the God who's willing to listen to prayer. Let us bring all our needs before you in prayer, believing that you are the God who'll save us, and you will answer our prayers according to your will. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!