4 Aug 2013 by Stewart Chew-
The Setting (Mk 10:46-52)
Jesus and His disciples visited Jericho. They stayed for a while and it was only until they were leaving the city that a local blind man named Bartimaeus confronted them. Bartimaeus had previously heard about the many miracles Jesus performed and he truly acknowledged the power that He possessed. He also firmly believed that only Jesus could bring back his sight. Bartimaeus pleaded with Jesus to have mercy on him and to restore his sight. Though many of the followers who accompanied Jesus rebuked him for his disturbance, he remained persistent and repeatedly shouted his pleadings until he received the attention of the Lord.
The Miracle
Then Jesus stopped and called Bartimaeus to Him. Notice how joyous he must have been when Jesus responded to him, despite the reluctance of those nearby to assist him. What a great Lord we have! Jesus knew exactly what Bartimaeus wanted Him to do yet He again asked, “What do you want me to do for you Bartimaeus?” And later after He had given back Bartimaeus his sight Jesus said,“Go, your faith has healed you!”
Observations
We are people whom God loved immensely! In all things that we asked in our prayers to our loving God, even when it seems to be delayed or unanswered, always be sure that He knows! Notice as with the case of Bartimaeus the blind man, Jesus must have been in Jericho for quite some time and was already leaving when Bartimaeus confronted Him – a last minute happening you might say! Notice how important it is to praise, worship and glorify Christ the King before we make any prayer request in His name, just like what Bartimaeus did. He was also persistent and repeated his asking – we must also do the same. We must not make any assumptionsbut continuously ask because God wants to hear it directly from us. We must also be quite specific in what we asked for as we observed in the text Jesus saying to Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?” (It is so obvious and of course Jesus knows, yet He wants to hear it coming directly from us). Thus the answer to all delayed or unanswered prayers – is to have faith, and plenty of it, as this is the most important ingrain attribute of the believer – express your complete faith and trust in Him and wait on God because He always answer our prayers, and in His time when we least expect it! When “Jesus stops and calls” make sure we are present to answer the Master!
Applications
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In all our situations, it is always never too late to call upon Jesus.
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Praise Him, worship and glorify His great name before we make all our prayer requests to Him.
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Have persistence; keep praying and asking until we succeed.
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Be clear, confident and succinct with the requests that we make.
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Always trust Him and stay strong in our faith as He always answers, but in His time.
Note: Stewart Chew is a retired senior lecturer in School of Medical Sciences, Curtin University in Perth, Australia
Disclaimer: The views or opinions expressed by the columnists are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Christianity Malaysia.com
References for pictures:
http://www.ocbf.ca/2012/sites/default/files/img/devotion/0428c.jpg
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