Mark 10:46-52

Be Still: Lord, I cry out to you. Draw near to me now and walk with me throughout today. Amen

Read: Mark 10:46-52

When he (Bartimaeus) heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’  And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’  And they called to the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.’ And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ (v47-51) ESV

Encounter:  Bartimaeus is so determined to attract Jesus’ attention and persists in shouting out, even when others try to stop him. He cries out, not worrying what people might think of him, unmoved by their disapproval. He isn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. 

Have you ever been desperate enough (for yourself or or those you love) to cry out like this – and should you do that more often? Remember the parable of the man waking his friend in the middle of the night to ask for bread and his friend eventually responds. (Luke 5:5-13); and the widow who pestered the judge to give her justice and he does, to stop her bothering him (Luke 18:1-6). 

Jesus tells us to ask, knock and seek - indicating repeated actions - keep asking, knocking, seeking. (Matthew 7:7-12). Why do we sometimes have to wait for answers and need to persist before God responds? Our humanity cannot encompass God's will. Perhaps God wants us to show him how important something is to us, or maybe he wants to teach us something vitally important. It's hard but we must keep going!

One of the best illustrations of prayer I know is likening prayer to standing on a barge holding a rope connected to the bank and pulling on it. What happens? Does the bank move nearer to the boat, or the boat move nearer to the bank? As we pray and as God allows situations where we cry out in pain but keep going, he is pulling us, drawing us nearer to him.

Jesus knows just how to treat us as individuals. His question to Bartimaeus seems unnecessary but Jesus knew that Bartimaeus needed to express his need and ask for help.

Apply: How does this apply to our prayer lives? Let's consider what God might be saying to us in this story.

Devote:  Lord, draw me deeper to you in prayer and in my relationship with you.