SCRIPTURE

Studied: Mark 10 

OBSERVATION (What is God saying here?)

Mark 10:49-52 ~ When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (NLT)

APPLICATION (How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

We attend church and expect to see God answer prayer and/or move in our midst because of all that we read in His Word and have heard about Him. In this scripture, Bartimeus was the same way, only I get the impression that he would not have been considered a very religious person that perhaps many of us may consider ourselves, for he was a beggar along the roadside, and because of the reaction of the crowd, he may have made a pest of himself. However, like in the story of the children coming to Jesus, Bartimeus was calling out to Jesus for specific help/healing and in sincere faith. Too often we come to Jesus in such general terms and in such a way that we give the impression that yes it would be nice if Jesus would do this or that, but if not – well, we understand, and we will try again later on. This blind man had a very specific need that he didn’t have to think very hard about when asked by Jesus what He could do for him. In other words, I believe that Bartimeus was there at that time for the specific reason of having Jesus restore his sight, not because he thought that his begging to such a large crowd passing, may be financially beneficial to him. Jesus knows our most intimate thoughts and desires, so we could cut the chase and verbalize to Him specifically what it is that we desire in our hearts. It’s ok to share this with a friend so that they could join us in prayer and share our burden, but it is much more important that we stop, acknowledge Jesus for who He is, share our deepest thoughts with Him and ask Him for help and/or healing in specific terms, and in faith expecting His hand to be outreached to respond in a way that He knows is best for us. Let’s remember, we are His children, and He desires His very best for His kids. We just need to have the faith and ask for it!

PRAYER (With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Wow, what a lesson this is today! A time when it seems like more and more of us attend church out of tradition and because of habit. A time when we come to Jesus in prayer asking in such general terms about our group, our family or our friends. This scripture has reminded me that when I come to pray, I need to come prepared with the very thing that bears on my mind, ask specifically for that need, and ask with such assurance knowing that I am asking the Master of this universe, the Healer of the blind, the restorer of life, the King of all kings, the only one that has the power to respond to my requests. With that kind of faith and assurance, I can come boldly to the cross expecting God to respond in bold and marvelous ways. Thank you Jesus for being my healer, defender, provider and my salvation!