35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God. Luke 18:35–43 (NASB95)

I was wondering if Jesus was passing me by what I might request of him. The blind man (Bartimaeus) correctly asks for the Lord to show him mercy, not to heal him. Only when Jesus asked him specifically what he wanted did he ask for the restoration of his sight.

In these treacherous times, when all seems to be caving in on us, it’d be best for us to request his mercy too, that is, to have the wisdom to navigate through troubled waters, not just financially or politically, but more so spiritually. While the blind man pleaded for eyesight, I’d covet some insight right now.

Desperate times require desperate measures. The blind man had this one opportunity to fix his problem and he seized it. We should exercise the same sense of urgency.

Why? Remember Jesus had just told his men the day of his reckoning was near (v. 31-33). We must also prepare for times of severe testing. The handwriting’s on the wall.

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 Timothy 3:1