Check out this excerpt from a daily devotion by Wade Taylor. I found it to be very profound.

The Eye of a Dove

In the Song of Solomon, the Lord compliments His Bride, for He sees within her a quality that He intensely desires to cultivate and use.

“Behold, you are fair, my love! behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.” Song of Solomon 1:15

When a dove fixes its gaze upon its mate, it is not distracted by any activities around it.  Therefore, it is often referred to as being a “love bird.”

Our having this “dove’s eye” indicates the possession of a spiritual commitment and awareness that will lift us above the pulls and distractions of the earthly, and enable us to become sensitive to the Lord’s presence, and obedient to His desire and purpose.

“If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah 1:19

The Lord’s approbation (divine favor) rests upon those who have cultivated a “single eye” toward Him.  These can be easily led by Him, for they are close enough to see which way His eye is looking.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8

A horse on the other hand is distracted by side vision.  Therefore, it must have “blinders” placed beside each eye, and a “bit” set within its mouth.  Only then can it be kept on the path.  Therefore, we are admonished:

“Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding; Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.” Psalm 32:9 NKJ

Once we have developed this “single eye” toward the Lord, we will no longer respond as a horse or mule (according to our desires).  We will have become responsive to Him alone.“Come, My beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give you My loves.” Song of Solomon 7:11-12

Now, the Lord can further instruct us in order to prepare us to be brought into His Chambers – a special prepared place where we can share with Him in the outworking of His redemptive purposes (let us see if the vine flourish), as we commune with Him.

The quality that has so moved the Lord with desire to be with His Bride in the outworking of this cooperative relationship, is her “single eye.”  She cried out:

“Tell me, O You whom my soul loves, where You feed, where You make your flock to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that turns aside by the flocks of Your companions.” Song of Solomon 1:7

“Tell me.”  This intense desire that she expresses is singularly toward her Lord, and she seeks to gaze upon Him alone.  She can no longer be satisfied with only the knowledge of things about Him.  The ministries, abilities, or personalities of His servants are no longer enough, for now she must intimately know Jesus.  An intense reduction of all her ambitions, desires, and dreams has brought her to this place.

Now that her vision has become single, the Lord is ready to lead her on.

“My beloved spoke, and said to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Solomon 2:10

Psalm 27 was written by David about his experience with the Lord during the time when he was hiding in a cave, while Saul’s armies were outside seeking to kill him.  In the darkness of his present circumstances, David’s dreams about sitting on the throne of an earthly kingdom with all its grandeur, faded in the light of the eternal Kingdom, which he now saw.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear….” Psalm 27:1-3

In this seemingly hopeless situation, David realized that only that which is of God has any lasting value.  All else vanished in the darkness of the cave, including the hope of his sitting on the throne of Israel, according to the prophecy that was given to him by Samuel.

David, now reduced to a single vision, has but one desire – to abide in the presence of the Lord.  The dark, musty cave has become a cathedral, for now he has the eye of a dove and sees only the Lord.  Only now could David say,

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.” Psalm 27:4-5

The values in David’s life are in divine order, as the Lord has first place in his life.  Now, the Lord, in His time and way, can lead David to the throne of Israel.

“But seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Today, the Lord is seeking those who are willing to be reduced to this singleness of vision.

If we will respond and seek Him above all other pressures, and demands on our time, and tell Him that we desire Him with a single eye, He will then respond and say to us, “Behold, you are fair, you have dove’s eyes.”

Now, we are ready to be led into a further experience of union with Jesus in the outworking of His Kingdom purposes upon the earth.

Continuing with the subject of “secret place”, let us now look at the prayer of a child of God.  Remember the Lord talked about the prayer of the pharisee, the prayer of the heathen. and in this verse, He makes a contrast.

The Lord gave me a few insights (or what my friend would call revelations) while studying this chapter especially this verse. Here, I will give out a few of them:

1) Now he said to them( His disciples) “BUT YOU”. Here we have the Father’s “distinction”. The father differentiates between the prayers of the hypocrite, the prayers of the heathen and the prayers of His children. the idea here is: inasmuch as God’s children have a different relationship with God, their prayers are likewise expected to be different. Our Father takes the position: truly as His children, we are not going to pray like the hypocrite, we are not going to pray like the heathen (verse 5). We are naturally going to pray like a child of God. In other words, our prayers are different, they are differently motivated, have a different objective, a different method, a different basis. There is bound to be a distinction between true children of God and the hypocrite or the heathen.

2) “WHEN YOU PRAY” here we see our Father’s “expectation”. Notice it doesn’t say “if” you pray but “when” you pray. The Father expects His children to communicate with Him. It’s not a matter of mere option, not if you pray, in case perchance you pray. NO! it’s when you pray. We read in James4:2b “yet , you do not have because you do not ask”. Our father expects that we ask. In Matthew 6:8 “…Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him”. Well , why ask if He already knows what we need? When we pray for our personal needs we are not praying in order to inform God. We are praying because we have an honest desire. God expects us to ask, even though He knows what we need in order:

• to keep us aware of our dependence upon God whom we would otherwise take for granted and even forget , days without number
• to enable God to demonstrate His goodness and faithfulness to us, what would otherwise remain unrecognized
• to satisfy His heart by our thankful expressions of praise for His bountiful  provisions.

God wants to keep us aware of our dependence upon Him. Suppose God did not institute the principle of prayer: suppose He simply throws our way everything we need without our asking, we would loose every sense of our dependence on God, we would take God so for granted that He wouldn’t get credit for supplying our needs. God does not like to be taken for granted, so He moves through the avenue of prayer to keep us in constant realization that we are dependent upon HIM.

3) ” GO INTO YOUR ROOM” this is our Father’s “direction”  that we should do our praying in a secret place where we are unobserved, undisturbed, undistracted. ( here i’m only talking about personal prayer and not corporate/church prayer) . there prayers that should only be prayed in private. there is need for going to the closet. The closet is simply intended to be a secret place ; we don’t want to have our devotions observed by other people. This is not always easy. It depends on our homes’  conditions, but very, very often it’s amazing how we can find a place to pray.We can find a secret closet of prayer in the midst of a public place, on a plane, a hotel, a class, walking the streets in a crowd-we can withdraw in our spirit into our own little closet( or what I call cathedral) and though surrounded by people, in there our spirit is withdrawn in communion with God.

4) “AND WHEN YOU HAVE SHUT YOUR DOOR”  this is our Father’s ” Suggestion” that we really need to make conscience effort to be undisturbed. when you have children in the house, if the door is open, they run in and out, if the door is shut  there is a better chance for privacy. escape the T.V turn off the telephone, the computer, the ipod – it is the shutting of the door; making a conscience effort, as much as we can for the time of our devotion.

5) ” AND PRAY TO YOUR FATHER” notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say ” and pray to your God” He said ” pray to your father”. This is an important distinction. When it comes especially to my personal needs, clothing, food, money, health; I have found out that it is better to pray to the father than it is to pray to God. You maybe asking ” well..isn’t God and father the same person?” Of course He is! however the difference is this( I hope you understand me on this) God is God of all people, sinners and saints, believers and heathens – a god of everyone. They don’t recognize Him as such, but He is God just the same. BUT, He is the father only to those who believe. God has an obligation to us; His children, which He does not have to those who are not His children. What Jesus is saying here is that our prayers; prayers for our personal needs, ought to be based on our personal relationship to God as our heavenly Father. Do you ever spread your needs out before the Lord? a bill, a problem, a personal need that you have? “Father”. It is amazing what the heavenly father will do. HE CARES.

6)”PRAY TO YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN THE SECRET PLACE” the other day I wrote about the “abiding presence” of our God. Now here comes the other side of the coin. We don’t have to feel the Presence of God to know that He is with us. ” And your father who is the secret place”. We don’t walk by feeling, we walk by Faith. I have lots of feelings, I feel and enjoy the presence of God, but there are times when God withdraws it. It doesn’t or shouldn’t make any difference, when I can’t feel him, i have his word ” I will never leave you nor forsake you”. When you go to the secret place you may not feel like praying, it may feel like God is a million miles away. Assure your heart that your father is present. God is with us because He says he is with us- It is a sheer act of faith. Be assured that He is there, be assured that He hears, be assured that He sees.

7) ” WHO SEES IN SECRET” this is our Father’s ” observation”. sometimes when I’m in distress I go to Exodus 3 where God says ” …I have seen their affliction…I have heard their cries….I know their sorrows “. This to me is a marvelous picture of the awareness which God has of our needs, He “sees”, “hears” and “knows”. When you go alone into your closet, don’t wait for a feeling, acknowledge his word that he is there and build your prayer on that.

“SHALL REWARD YOU OPENLY” now this is our father’s “disposition” This is  the confidence that we have that when we pray He hears and answers our prayers. Our Father, as a father, has a father’s heart and he is always  ready to respond to our requests.

Let us befriend our prayer closets, the places where we commune with ,”papa” with our father! A lot can and will happen there!

We know God has an abiding presence that is everywhere at the same time. No matter where you are on this earth, He is there! You cannot hide from His presence. Ready or not He is always there. It is comforting to know He is always standing right beside us. At times He is unnoticed and unseen, but yet He stands behind the shadows ever so desiring to reveal Himself to His people in a personal way

This presence I’m speaking of is His manifest presence. It is when the Lord reveals Himself as a person with personality and feelings. To experience His manifest presence is to be quickened and renewed with a deep inner contentment that cannot be described only experienced. His presence that was intangible becomes tangible and weighty. It is when He reveals Himself in a very personal way.

His “abiding presence” is everywhere at the same time, but His “manifest presence” is when He reveals Himself. Did you know the Lord desires to meet with you in a personal way? He desires to hold you in His arms and ravish you with His love. You can sit together, not necessarily talking a lot, but just being together and sharing what you wouldn’t want to share in public or with anybody else. His manifest presence will be made known to you if you hunger for more than just a casual relationship with Him.

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. Luke 10:39

There is such a present need in our day for God to have a people that know what it means to sit before Him. Only a chosen few really practice this. In today’s world we have many distractions to occupy us. God is looking for someone to rise up above the distractions.

If we really are going to sit before Him we must cherish solitude and silence. We have to be away from the people. We must push aside our schedules and come away.”

Jesus practiced withdrawing himself from the crowds and being alone with His Father. We too must discipline ourselves to withdraw from the public and sit in anticipation before Him. In the sitting we learn the ways of God, He speaks to us the very knowledge of who He is.

In the silence come His sweet embrace, His glorious face, and His intimate communion.

The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning. Ps 25:14 (AMP)

Friendship with God is reserved for the obedient. We must fear Him and tremble at His word. As we sit before Him to revere and worship Him, we have the greatest gift given to man, Intimate communion with the Lord. He shares His heart with us and we become His spokesman. Our heart is connected to His.

We cannot be His spokesmen, if we don’t sit at His feet to listen. A friend shares with a friend that they do not share with everyone. They share secrets. The secrets of the Lord come to those who sit before Him. Why, because they took the time to listen? The spiritual hungry sit before Him daily hanging on every word he says. He speaks when we are alone with Him.

There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. Deut 34:10

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Exodus 33:11

Moses knew the Lord like few have. He knew how to withdraw and sit before him. Moses knew the ways of God. He was a friend of God, a companion, an intimate of God. He leaves us the challenge to also know our God face to face. To walk toward the burning bush and cry out for more glory.”

Jesus cried out that they may know you. John 17:3

Do you really want to know your God? In the final analysis we must know Him. How can we be interpreters of Him to the world if we don’t know Him and sit before Him? He has been waiting “all night” for us and He is still waiting, hoping, whispering, sighing-He wants to come in-He wants to be with us. What is our response? When He calls you what is your initial reaction? Are we sensitive enough to know His knock from every other knock? Can we hear the sound of the Lord found in His manifest presence? It is only through spending time with the Lord in personal, quiet solitude that anyone can be taught the “Distinction in the sounds, and know His ways”

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

Though the setting for these two parables could be different they both tell a story of a man who entrusted his servants with his wealth. Now, Matthew says that this master entrusted one man with five bags of gold (talent), another one with two bags and another with one – each according to his ability. This reminds me of a question we used to be asked when we were young- “what do you want to be when you grow up”. Mostly, the answer to this question would be what I figured as a child as the most revered and respected career. I want to be a doctor, pilot, teacher, policeman, lawyer, and the list continues.

In each of our minds, there is a thought that tells us that certain duties are better than others. We tend to exalt some chores than others. It is human nature. This happened to Mary and Martha too (Luke 10:38 – 42). Martha was resentful that Mary chose to stay by Jesus’ feet to be taught by Him. Though Martha received Jesus into their home, she grumbled that Mary could not help in the chores related to making Jesus comfortable. Without digressing from our topic (there could be another deeper lesson in this story too), I want to say that both of these chores were important, someone needed to prepare a meal for Jesus and the other needed to keep Him company and make Him comfortable in their home.  The problem is – Martha grumbled on her chore.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  ²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’  ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ for whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “

Do you overlook or trivialize your responsibility, how often do we grumble? Sometimes our grumbling is a result of comparing our ability with that of others. We think we are not as talented (as they), we think we are not good enough (in comparison to others). We often ask God, why can’t I be a televangelist, a Doctor, lawyer, musician? Why am I not able to preach or even pray in public gatherings, why, why, why? We are grumblers- and we have mastered it. We think our abilities are insignificant! If our gift involves doing things that are rarely recognized, are we gladly doing it? Do we know that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility? Your responsibility and my responsibility is what complete the equation.  We are all members of the same body, each one of us with different functionality (Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Ephesians 5:30).

Here is the challenge for us; the master expected results from EACH servant. Yes, they had different talents but the master expected each of them to have multiplied their talents according to their individual abilities.  The servant with five talents could not have brought in one more, in this case he would have underutilized his potential and so is the servant with two. Why then was it so difficult for the one who was given one talent to multiply his talent?  He was unable to move beyond his fear.  He was too fearful, suspicious and distrustful and chose to bury his talent. And thus his reward was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We are ALL talented in different ways. Some talents are more evident than others while others might be dormant in us waiting to be utilized.   Since God, our master, is the one who determines who gets what talent (He knows our ability), let us not dwell on who got what.  What matters is what we do with the opportunities and the abilities God has given us. Can God refer to us as faithful good servants? Note the contrary language Jesus uses to refer to the third servant with one talent- wicked, lazy servant!  This servant brought back everything as given but still he was referred to as wicked and lazy – he chose to hide and hoard to his talent.

In this parable inaction equals wickedness, laziness and even worthlessness. Notice that none of these servants kept their talents or their increase; they all belonged to the master. In the same manner, our talents are not ours to keep they are God given and they are meant to edify the body of Christ. Our only reward (as that of the servants) is happiness as we share our talents with others and more importantly eternal happiness.

When reading this wonderful psalm I got into a quiet and reflective mood in the Presence of God. I felt the Lord drawing my attention to verse 3 “yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young-even Your altars, o lord of hosts, my king and my God” I wondered about the swallows – so I goggled. I learnt that a swallow will first find a structure where there is supply of mud close by. It will then carry mud and twigs in its beak making trip after trip. Then it carefully constructs its nest, with mud and twigs up against a wall. The thought then struck me, we use the expression “ up against the wall” to describe a place of inner struggle where we feel trapped or feel that we’ve run out of options, and have no place to run and no way out. Yet, this bird finds its safety up against a wall. It then dawned on me that a place for me, for us, spiritually that is the safest and most secure is also the place where we fill spiritually the weakest. Someone has recently given me a quote “going to the cross is going to the point where my will crosses God’s will” The cross is always the place where God’s will stands before me, the point where God will meet me- yes it’s the point I am spiritually weakest yet the point where he gives me His grace and strength in place of my weakness!

Spiritual storms, winds will blow into our lives, pulling us this way and that. We become like swallows tossed around by the wind. Most of the times, while in the face of wind’s danger, we know there is a place of safety in God, but still we don’t fly to that safe place in Him. Instead we fly away, resisting the wisdom that tells us to fly to Him. In our spirits we know that flying towards Him means we must first go to the cross. In God we find peace, safety, comfort, rest, but testing and discomfort are also part of the plan. And running towards the cross-though uncomfortable is exactly where we are going to find Him.

On our own, apart from the Lord, we don’t know how to build a nest that’s secure. We don’t know where our hiding place is a lot of times. Too often we wait until difficulty comes, and we frantically try to throw together a nest. Some of us even convince ourselves that we’re doing okay all on our own. What we’ve latched onto seems good, but there is a big problem: the nests of security we build out of what the world has to offer are not anchored. Security of our own-making grants us no real abiding place.

What we need is a place for our spirit that is solid and secure! God’s word is filled with assurances that He wants to be a shelter for us in times of trouble. He wants to be our rock (see Ps.92:15, Ps.28:1), our fortress (see Ps.18:10) and our strong tower (prov.18:10). These are all good images of places to where we can flee; run when danger has come upon us and need a temporary hiding place. Yet, these are not intended as places to live for a long time. What is so wonderful about the imagery in Psalm84, is that a nest is more then an emergency shelter. A nest is where we can live always. Here we can abide in peace when everything around us is being shaken or everything around us is still.

Tenderly Jesus is calling us to this place. Just as He called Apostle John (Rev.4:1) to “come up here” and as from the deep He called deeply and drew David’s panting, longing heart to His presence (Ps.42:7), so He is presently calling us to His secret place. Yes the sparrow has found a house, and swallow a nest for herself, David, John, Paul and so many others also found their rest at the Altars of the Lord. And now IT IS OUR TURN. Softly, tenderly, quietly He is calling us from the depths of His wonderful presence. Will we join Him in the secret place???

Mark 8:22 “They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ^“

Two things come across me when I read this passage

1)      People  brought this blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him

2)      This man  did not see right away, but Jesus touched him once more.

• There is something powerful that we can tap from people around us, their faith. The people in this passage, who we are not told whether they were the blind’s man relatives, friends or neighbors, had faith in Jesus. We all need someone who can stand with us in prayer. When we are weak their faith can bring our breakthrough. Let us trust God to bring our way these people who He can use to minister to us.
• Why did Christ choose to heal this man this way? Was there a lesson behind it? Could he have had both  physical and spiritual blindness? Sometimes things happen gradually, not  instantly.  God heals our spiritual blindness gradually. “We are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• The good news in this story is that Jesus touched this man “once more’. Lets’ our cry to the Lord be, I want to see you, I want to see your face, I want to know you more … touch me once more oh Lord.

John 9:1-12 describes a man who was blind from birth. The passage teaches me several things, and the big question in all is; am I able to seize the opportunity and minister to a need when it arises. Or I am I caught up in disbelief?

• The disciples were too busy trying to establish whose sin it was that caused this man’s blindness. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

• The man’s neighbors wasted time in gossip and disbelieve. They could not believe he is the same man.  “Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
• The Pharisees were so tied in their laws that they could not see past them. “Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” They could not believe the miracle since it was performed on the Sabbath and they eventually cast him out (John 9: 24:34).
• When God opens our spiritual eyes to see a situation the way He sees it, sometimes we are a mystery to our friends. We are totally transformed such that we do not look the same. We may experience great persecutions and alienation, but let us remain faithful until God gets all the glory.

Luke 18:35-43, Mark 10:46-52 “As Jesus approached Jericho; a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”  “Lord, I want to see,” he replied.  Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.”

• There is something great about Bartimaeus, he was persistent in his request. He was not discouraged that people around him did not assist him to Jesus,  infact they rebuked him to be quiet, but he persisted. Bartimaeus knew what he wanted from Jesus, His mercy! He couldn’t keep quiet for he knew only Jesus has it! When Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”   He said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
• Let us pause and think of the kind of prayer we always offer to God. Do we recite many verses to him, and fail to ask for anything?  How would you pray for that dire need that you have, well at least in your closet? I would go direct to the point and ask like Bartimaeus. He had a precise specific request and he asked for it.

Lessons from the three passages

a) People around us may bring us or even hinder us from God. Are our associates people who have faith in God? What happens, if they rebuke and stop us from getting to Jesus? Is our faith shaken, or will we still have and express our faith in Him?

b) When Jesus heals our spiritual blindness, we are not the same again. People may not recognize us and  they may even alienate us from their company. Will this be a discouragement, or will I stand in the truth of the encounter I have had with God.

c) Do I recognize the need for God’s healing grace in my life and do I seek out for it with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy?

^“Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.”

I see three main things in this passage;

1)    Jesus was hungry and there was a fig tree nearby that didn’t have any fruits to pick

2)    It was not the season for picking figs from the tree, so this tree was kind of ‘justified’ not to have any fruit.

3)    Jesus curses this fig tree, for not having any fruit, and it withers. Well, IMMEDIATELY.

• Jesus was both human and divine, he got hungry (just like we do) and was in need of something to eat. He looks for a fruit in this fig tree, but couldn’t find any. What could have attracted Jesus to this fig tree, it was not fig picking season? Was Jesus justified to curse the fig tree when it was not its season to bear fruit? Mark (Mark 11:12-14), points out that this fig tree was leafy (green). People have argued that, Jesus was not looking for the real fruit, but for actually what was referred to as ‘peasant fruit’. This is the fruit that was expected to sprout from a tree just before it could produce real fruits. Absence of this fruit in this tree, it is said, could have signified that this tree was unlikely to produce fruit even when the season comes. It was a barren tree. Leafy and green, but barren!

• We have heard, read, and learnt from many bible passages. We are well prepared to start bearing fruit. But, are we bearing the fruit? Or are we barren? Can a discouraged soul, find something that can minister to him/her in us? Do we manifest faith in God in trying times, or are we caught up (just like everyone else) with desperation trying to look for help where God isn’t? Do we show God’s kindness to all? In short, is our lifestyle in line with what we profess?

• This reminds me of a sermon I listened to some years ago “bearing fruits in and out of season”. I am called to ‘bear fruit’ in situations when it’s not natural to do so. To love and care when it is difficult to do so.  To pray when it is hard to pray.Even to have and exercise faith in seemingly impossible circumstances. I have to go against the norms; I got to stand up for something. Doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing to do; there are too many influences, to the opposite, in the world we live in. But who will bring the difference if not me and you?

• In Luke 13:6-9, Jesus told another parable of a fig tree. “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ” The vineyard owner expresses his disappointment of a fruitless tree in his vineyard. For three years, this tree was not producing any fruit. There was a caretaker in the garden, but still no fruit.  Well, the caretaker pleads for (and is granted) one more year to fertilize the tree to see if it will produce any fruit.

• God’s patience is not endless. I need to do extra than just attend a Christian gathering or read the bible. I should actively (act is the key word) nurture my soul with the right food all the time.  God renews His mercies to us every morning, but let us not take it for granted. Galatians 5:22-23, tells us about the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (self control). The scripture tells us that these are not individual fruits to choose from. But one fruit, which should be present in all who proclaim they know Jesus.  Let us ask the Lord to help us exhibit these qualities to the world so that all can know him through us.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  “

• When faced with impossible situation, I will not complain or compromise, but I will exercise my faith in God. I have the power to speak in faith to these impossible situations; this is the promise of God.

When I read this passage I get fascinated by the title given to this man – ‘rich young man’, and I think…  how we yern to have this title!

This rich young man comes to Jesus and asks, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”. It is not explained why this man called Jesus good, but Jesus could have understood his motive and that is why he asked him, “Why do you call me good, no one is good but God”. It is possible that he might have been looking for some form of approval based on his status. But again this is my thought.

However, I do learn something from him. He was seeking something greater ,  he wanted to know what to do to inherit eternal life. Though he had a seeking spirit, he thought that he could inherit/earn eternal life by deeds  (good works).  He didnt have the complete picture of eternity inheritance. Jesus, knowing his deficiency, wanted to teach him from the known to the unknown. ^“20You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.” Hearing Jesus reiterate all what he already knew  he answered,  ²¹“All these I have kept since I was a boy”.

But Jesus said to him, you still lack one thing, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

To me, this was an ímpossible’ task to this man. How could he sell all what he had invested in over all the years? I dont think Jesus was interested in him accomplishing this task, but He wanted to make a point to him.  Following Jesus is not an easy thing, its not about keeping the commandments, its about following Him no matter what happens. Its about spending time together with Him (fellowship), treasuring what He treasure,  being taught (sometimes painfully) by him. Its about denying the self in us and saying, because Jesus said so I will do it,  it is not all rosy but I know He is with me and He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me and I know He is true to His word. His will is and will always be the best for me.

This was a hard lesson for this man, he was saddened by Jesus’ words. However, Jesus gives him a loving gaze(He loved him and wanted the best for him) and said to him,  “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

To me this is an analogy that Jesus gives probably to show how hard it is for us to find Him when our love for material possessions is beyond the love we have for eternity. Do you know it is possible to be in love with things? Always on the run to accumulate as much as we can, and fail to have fellowship with God?  Ask yourself, how often do you fellowship with  God, are you able to hear Him speak to you? Or is your mind crowded, rushing through the things that need to be done that you cannot accommodate talking  with him through studying His word and prayer?  I am a victim of this, usually busy with work and family chores that I sometimes miss that quiet moment to listen to what God has to say to me, I know you are too (John 8:7). However, there is an encouragement to us today, when God looks at us, He LOVES US!. He wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him and to care for what He cares about  (John 3:16).

To me, life is about others. Its about caring for people and what concerns them. Loving them and embracing them, feeling their hurt and encouraging them. This is what selling my possessions and following Jesus means. The focus shifts from me, to you. Faced with a challenge, I ask myself, what would Jesus do? Everyday I am strifing to follow Jesus even when it is not convinient (and often it is not).

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10″Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’”

• Verse 9 starts by telling us that some amidst Jesus were getting over confident. I think Jesus was addressing His disciples more that anyone else. It’s possible that after rubbing shoulders with the messiah, the disciples could have started to elevate themselves than the others. Jesus loved servant hood (Luke 9:48).

• Now, have you ever been caught up in the ‘self righteousness’ thing? I have. There have been times in my life when I have looked at someone else, either a Christian or not and said … how unchristian was that? Really, deep inside am saying, I DON’T do that. There is a good feeling that comes when we fault other people and elevate ourselves. This is what this Pharisee did. He compared his deeds with that of evildoers, adulterers, and even the tax collector and found himself better than they. When we are on the look out to compare, thinking of ourselves so highly like this Pharisee, there is a possibility that we will always find someone worse. Yes, we do not commit adultery, but do we look at someone lustfully? (Matthew 5:27-28). How many times can someone annoy you without you getting to the edge of revenge? (.Matthew 18:21-22)

• Do you know it is possible to be a legalistic Christian and fail to have fellowship with God? To me, this Pharisee was like praying to himself and not communing with God. He was counting ‘to God’ what he does and what he doesn’t do. Do we forget that God sees every dark and bright side of our lives? If God was to repay us for our deeds then… (Psalm 130:3).

13″But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

What else can I say? The lesson I get from this passage is;
a. We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy (Romans 3:23). Self righteousness cannot earn us favor before Him.
b. When we approach God’s throne, let us remember, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5 , James 4:6).

• Parable was a popular way in which Jesus taught His disciples. You may ask, why parables? Why would He not say it as it is? The disciples of Jesus wondered the same and asked Jesus this question (Matthew 13:10-16).  There is deep lessons we can learn from the parables of Jesus. My prayer is that the Lord may open my eyes so that I can see and open my ears to hear and understand what He has to teach me.  This is the only time the these parables will have the healing power in me (verse 15).In my opinion, when a lesson is taught in parable it carries much more weight than when its taught plainly because

a) It allows us to figuratively  dig deeper into the lesson to gain great wisdom from it.

b) It also gives room for multiple applications. In this case you can apply the Word in different  circumstances without diluting the message.

• Here the widow “kept coming to him (the judge) with a plea, ‘grant me justice against my adversary’”. Note that the judge is said to have neither feared God nor cared about men. For a minute I thought what a description!? Clearly, this judge did not care about what people thought of him nor did he have a heart for them. He probably was a mean judge. On the other hand, He didn’t fear God, this means his dealings could have been crude but he didn’t care how God judged him.  Nevertheless, this woman was so passionate about what was bothering her and no matter how the judge said NO (… it could have been rudely), she kept on coming. She could have been hearing WAIT, whenever the judge said NO.
• Finally the judge says ‘‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!‘. This judge knows his character (doesn’t fear God or care about this woman) , however since he doesn’t know how to stop this widow, he grants her request.
• And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. “

o   Here is what I learn from this passage

a)      Pray without ceasing. Do not lose heart. It is easy to despair because unlike the judge who the widow could see, we cannot physically see God. But since we have faith in Him, we know that He HEAR us whenever we call (1 John 5:14, Deuteronomy 4:7)

b)      Make sure your persistence in prayer is not persistence unbelief. We should know that the Lord hear us the very first time we call on him. Thus, our persistence is not to awaken God to our situation, but a manifestation of the faith we have in Him. The widow knew, that the judge had the power to change her situation.

c)       Finally, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”  We should clear our minds from other voices that may hinder us from hearing from God.  Let us maintain constant communion with our God. Delays in prayer is meant to shape us to what God want us to be, God remains the same and there is nothing we can do to change HIM. He has the best for us.