If Only We Ask

A few days ago, I was thumbing through some out-of-print old books and stumbled upon one called “Orthodox Daily Prayers.” As I flipped through its pages, I found a simple prayer that the book recommends be prayed every morning. The single line of this prayer is direct and simple, but despite its lack of flowery poetry, it contains all the power a wretched soul could ever need.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” - Orthodox Daily Prayers.

As I pondered the words of the prayers scattered along the pages of the book, I was reminded of a story in the Gospel of Mark when another man cried out to Jesus for mercy and asked Jesus to restore his sight. His story has been a profound influence on my own prayers. His healing faith is a reminder that in the absence of unwavering faith, all of us are blind.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”- Mark 10:47-48

The blind beggar’s calls to Jesus echo through the ages—a beautiful parallel of the Orthodox Daily Prayer. There’s a wonderous beauty in the poetry of the moment, in a broken man’s unwavering hope that can never be adequately captured by any words. Every one of us who comes to salvation has lived this magnificent moment. We, too, were blind, broken, and lost, but when we heard that Jesus was near, we cried out to Him. Despite the world disparaging us or telling us to shut up, we cried out louder.

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.- Mark 10:49-50

Like the blind man, Jesus heard our shouts and cries and was moved to call us to Him. Our hopes were finally realized in a single moment when we cried out to Him. Responding, Jesus called out our names, and we, too, jumped with excitement to our feet and sprang to Him so that we might no longer be blind.

And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.- Mark 10:51-52

Faith healed a man who had lost his sight. Broken and beaten down by the world, he spent his days begging on the streets. The beggar couldn’t see the man who would heal him, but his ears heard that Jesus was near. The blind man believed his hope would be realized if only he called out. Begging for mercy, the blind beggar knew that he was unworthy. He understood that he wasn’t entitled to anything. Yet, because he cried out and believed he was healed.

On the day of our salvation, we called out to Jesus, and He healed us. Like the blind beggar, we jumped for joy and accepted His gift of mercy and healing. We picked up and followed Him, certain we would never leave Him. Yet, the times still get rough. The waters we sail still get choppy when the storms blow in. The trials and tribulations of life remain. We slip, and we stumble, trying to follow Jesus. Sometimes, we fail more than we succeed. Like the blind beggar, we need our sight restored. The daily prayer suggests that we ask Jesus for mercy every day because every day we need mercy.

Prayer is a vital part of a Christian’s journey through this world. Without prayer, we are like leaves blowing in the wind without direction or destination. Prayer is our anchor. Prayer is our center and foundation. It is the basis of our faith, for we can only pray when we have faith and only have faith if we’re praying. We’re all sinners, and all of us need mercy. Let us make it a daily practice to pray and pray well. Let’s give thanks for all the Lord has done for us, and always remember to call Jesus by name, begging Him to have mercy on us. Persistently, let’s shout above the nay-sayers and those who would quiet us. We all get lost sometimes, and a world full of temptations and trials can be blinding, but mercy and grace from Jesus Christ, our Lord, is always there if we just call out to Him. No matter how far we’ve fallen, our faith will heal us.