Blind Faith
Mark 10: 46 - 52
"Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”.Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
The walking wounded
Bartimaeus exemplifies the walking wounded. He was injured yet still able to walk. Many of us are disabled in spirit. Our eyes unto God are a little wounded. We cannot see our way out, and our spiritual disability seems fatal. We question how God can restore us from such a dark place. Our spiritual disability may inflect a range of emotions. We may begin to feel abandoned, lost, unloved, or unqualified due to an event that changed life as we know it. Like blind Bartimaeus, many of us have begun to identify ourselves by our affliction. Are we mad at God, man, or ourselves? However we got here, we are wounded.
Nevertheless, Bartimaeus knew Jesus. His knowledge and understanding of Jesus led him to value his presence. He knew that if he could get in the presence of Jesus, something incredible would happen. Blind faith in knowing Jesus and his capabilities without seeing it. You know Jesus and know his work. His grace applies to you too. The mere thought of knowing the love and power that he embodies is enough.
A persistent prayer
As Bartimaeus began to cry out, the people around him Begawan to hush him. Yet, he continued to cry to God because the change he desired required Jesus himself. In the past, consistency has been an issue of mine. I'll start and then stop without ever reaching my goal, leaving me frustrated with the lack of fulfillment due to my lack of effort. As I've grown and matured, I realized that everything I've ever wanted is on the other side of my consistency. Consistency is surface level. My actual struggle was fighting to be persistent and fighting to keep going when my timeline was not being met or when my answered prayer didn't reflect my exact plea. Bartimaeus has now exemplified a persistent prayer. He fought to pass the affliction of his eyes. He overcame the opinion of a man on the way to his healing.
What do you need to persist through to get to your answered prayer?
Question & Answer
"A closed mouth doesn't get fed" is a saying that I'm sure you've all heard at some point in our childhood. I know this to be true. Had Bartimaeus kept his mouth closed, Jesus would have passed him by. His wound responded to the presence of Jesus, causing him to open up his mouth and cry out for mercy. In wrestling matches, once an opponent is pinned down with their arm twisted, they begin to tap out. Only once, the pain has become unbearable. The inflected pain responded to the greater power at that point. So they begin to cry out for help so that the referee may call the match quits. Are you suppressing your plea? Have you allowed the cares of life to suffocate the cry that will save your life? There is an immediate response when a parent hears their child's cry. Christ will respond to your cry. Jesus stopped everything he was doing to tend to the cry of Bartimaeus. He'll do the same for you.
Bartimaeus asked Jesus for what he needed. Bartimaeus was specific with Jesus by telling him he wanted to see. How often do we ask God for everything but what we need? Lead God to your pain point. Guide to that hidden place that you don't talk about. Cry out so that he may heal your affliction!
Sometimes our situation has become maximized to the point of eclipsing the face of God. His voice seems faint while our pain is so loud. I encourage you to recall every mountain that he has moved to date. Your faith depends on it this season with God without the training wheels of sight. He has never left you, and he won't start now. Cry out from the depth of your darkness and know that he will respond. He is the God of restoration. The pain you feel now will subside.