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Intention

The story of the blind man’s cry for Mercy in the Bible has much to teach us

Scripture

‘As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by.  So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”  Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.’ – Luke 18:35- 43

Reflection

Important Note: Today is the last day of the 21 days of Prayer & Fasting for the Election. Tomorrow begins 10 days of continuing prayer with no fasting. (Aren’t you glad?)

We will continue to pray for the release of the Gospel in our nation and across the world. Elections are important, but the Gospel is paramount. The true answer for our nation is not government, but the Gospel. We will continue to pray for revival and transformation for our nation through Christ. The daily devotions will continue each morning until Tuesday the 31^st of May. We will continue to gather nightly at 8PM AEST on Zoom. We invite your continued participation and support.

The above story in Luke has four profound lessons for us all.

Power of Words: God created the world by saying “Let there be.” God could have thought the world into existence, but He chose to use words. We must too! Proverbs 18:21, “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.” If we don’t speak right, we won’t live right. The blind beggar chose to speak right. He could have thought his prayer, but instead, he shouted his prayer to Jesus and Jesus heard him. Don’t be afraid to shout your prayer. It is a healthy sign of desperation.

God’s Miraculous Mercy: God’s mercy is unfathomable. When Jehoshaphat appointed the singers to lead the troops into battle against impossible odds and God delivered them. They had one simple song as they marched to certain death from a natural point of view against a far superior army. “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever,” (2 Chronicles 20:21) The offering of Jesus Christ on the cross testifies to this truth. Let’s throw ourselves on the mercy of God. Lord have mercy!

Power of Persistence: Early in Luke 18 Jesus says, “Men ought always to pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1) Maybe the blind man outside Jericho heard this sermon. Whatever the case, he would not take no for an answer. The people told him to stop praying, but he would not. Don’t you either. We have to be persistent.

Power of Faith: The blind man, even though he was blind, had a revelation. Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of David. Faith came to him, and he acted on it. He prayed the word of God and God did a miracle. Jesus ultimately said to him, “Your faith has healed you.” Faith moves mountains and Paul said in Hebrews 11:16, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”

Someone said to me, “In the last election, Scott Morrison needed a miracle; this election, Australia needs a miracle.” Yes, we are praying fervently for a Godly outcome to this election, but our nation needs Jesus. We need repentance, reformation and revival. Repentance is the foundation for the miracle Australia needs.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets his people to pray.” The good news is, you and I are part of this miracle. Let us pray!

Video

Prayer

Father, just like the blind man, our nation is blind.

We have eyes but we cannot see our sin. We have eyes but we cannot see our Saviour.
We have eyes but we cannot see the word of God.

So, like the blind man, we cry out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us.”

We need a miracle for a Godly outcome to this election. But our greater need is for a miracle for our nation.

Lord, just like the blind men, we cry out for these miracles.

Amen.

Author Bio

Warwick Marsh has been married to Alison Marsh since 1975 and they have five children and nine grandchildren; he and his wife live in Wollongong in NSW, Australia. He is a family & faith advocate, social reformer, musician, TV producer, writer and public speaker. Warwick is a leader in the Men’s and Family Movement, and he is well known in Australia for his advocacy for children, marriage, manhood, family, fatherhood and faith. Warwick is passionate to encourage men to be great fathers and to know the greatest Father of all, the Father in whom “there is no shadow of turning.” He also blogs at Just a Man.

21 Days Prayer Points

1. Pray that God would rule over this election, that righteous leaders would be elected to govern this nation in truth and justice because, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.” Proverbs 29:2
2. Pray God’s blessing upon all our current parliamentarians and leaders, including their families and all the candidates of all the parties standing for this federal election. 1 Timothy 2:1-3
3. Pray for a multiplication of prayer and unity across the Body of Christ in Australia, that people will wake up to the dangers facing our nation and respond in prayer. Ephesians 5:14
4. Pray for a Revival for Australia, Spiritual Awakening and Transformation for our nation, and the proclamation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16

We invite you to support this Prayer & Fasting campaign to raise up prayer for the 2022 Federal Election. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us spread the word and make a stand for Family, Faith, Freedom and Life.

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Daily devotions brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.