Jesus knows your needs and is ready to help

A man was trying to get across a river on foot with little or no success. He spied a man on horseback, took one look at him, and said “Please let me ride over with you on the back of your horse. I need to cross this river.” Sure enough, the rider lifted him up and took him across the river. The man on the horse was named Abraham Lincoln. When they reached the other side, those gathered on the bank who had witnessed this act of kindness said, “You wanted the President to take you across, didn’t you? The rest of us weren’t good enough.” But the man shook his head and said, “No, I didn’t recognize Mr. Lincoln. I didn’t know it was him.” His answer was met with disbelief. “Then why did you single him out, and ask him instead of all the other riders who crossed before him?” Without hesitating, the man replied, “That’s easy. He had a ‘yes’ face, and I saw it right away.”

Do you have a “yes” face? Are you approachable? Do strangers ever ask you for directions? Do friends ask you for help? Peter and John must have had ‘yes’ faces, because the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate of the temple singled them out to ask for alms. But he got more than he bargained for. Peter and John were willing to help, but not in the way this beggar envisioned. Peter told him he had no gold or silver, but he was willing to give what he did have: healing. “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,” he said, “walk!” The truth is, the beggar at the gate had more gold than either Peter or John. But they had something he needed more than money. Jesus has a “yes” face. He is willing to help when we call on Him. But He knows better than we do what our true needs are. The question is, are we willing to call on Him, and to receive what He deems best for us?