May 3rd, 21

He sees us, and he stops for us. Jericho is known as the lowest city on Earth. It's also known in the Bible as a city where blind people receive their sight. Earlier, we see blind bartimaeus in Jericho. And now we have these two unnamed blind men calling out to Jesus to receive their sight. With all these things together, Jericho becomes a kind of metaphor for us for when we can't see, and when we are at our lowest.  Life has a way of bringing us to our own private Jericho, we all lose our sight. And we all are brought low. And when that happens, as it inevitably does, maybe we can do what these two blind people did. And cry out to God, cry out to the Son of David to have mercy on us.

This story reminds us that Jesus stopped to do those very things. And he continues to do those very things, he stops and he calls us, even at our lowest, even when we can't see. And he asks us that question. What do you want?

When we understand that God truly sees us, that he stops for us, He cares for us, and that he heals us. That's when we know that we are truly loved. And it was love that enabled these to to do what they did next. They followed him. And it's the same for us. When we know that we are loved by God. There we find the strength, the wisdom, the joy of following him. And the prayer of my own heart today is that I will do what they did. Because of love, I will follow and that's a pair that I have for my family for my wife. My daughter's my son and that's a pair that I have for you. May it be so

You are loved!