Nov 26 2019 Luke 18:35-43 Commemoration of Isaac Watts

When he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’

Isaac Watts was a priest who died in 1724. He is best known as a prolific hymn writer, writing over 600 hymns, hundreds of which are still in use. Most notable are Our God in Help of Ages Past, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, and Joy to the World. Through song, his deep faith and gentle faith is evident. Without knowing much about him, I must admit that the last verse of When I Survey has often made me to tear up, so poignant and resonating are the words.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!


Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all! Wow. Writing that much, Watts must have had a sense of God, and what was demanded of him. His soul, his life, his all.

In the appointed reading for Luke, there is another healing story, this time of the blind beggar. According to Jesus, the beggar regained his sight because of his faith. But at the beginning of the story, Jesus asks the beggar, “What do you want from me?”  

This morning, I’m thinking about what it is I want from Jesus, and wondering if I have as poignant or focused an answer as Watts or the beggar. There are two things I think about, when posed with that question.

First, I want to give my soul, my life, my all. I want to be so precisely clear and drawn to God that without hesitation, I want to dedicate my all. Some times I feel that. And when that focus settles, everything I do is more likely to also be dedicated to God. Some times, without that centrality, I do other things that tend to feel very secular, and not-God centered – go to the gym, schedule meetings at work, clean up after my loved-one’s tornado cooking marathons. If asked by Jesus, I want to increase my response that what I want is the awareness that at all times, in response to God’s love, I want to give my all. That feels to me to be a response of petition, me asking Jesus for what I need.

The other thing I want involves my loved one and all they encounter. I want them to feel the peace and love of God. I want them to get well. I want them to get through these first few years of agitation and certain repeated hospitalizations quicker than the anticipated 3-5 years. Accompanying that, I want the peace and focus to ride that storm. Even three years sounds insufferably long, given the past 10 months. So the other thing I want from Jesus is the healing for them, and peace or healing for me.

But as I write, here’s what I’m thinking. There is definitely some interceding on my loved one’s behalf, but the peace and healing for me? Maybe that is precisely the same thing as the first prayer. In response to God’s immeasurable and unmerited love and grace, I want to give my life, my soul, my all. Maybe that’s all I need to do, in order to have everything else I need, including the peace and healing related to my loved one. Maybe if I can increase my utterly focused dedication to God in response to God’s love, the rest falls into place. Maybe the peace and healing come. Maybe I need to be doubling down on my singular response to Jesus’ question, rather than the buckshot approach.

Back to another set of lyrics of Watts, No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.. He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found.