He's Only a Prayer Away~

TGIF greetings J

 

Hebrews 11:6 “It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. Why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him.”

 

As I have thought about Bartimaeus for the last several days, I have been re-energized in my determination to pursue the Lord.  If a helpless, hopeless, blind man can go from begging to calling on Jesus, then I can make the effort too.  Bartimaeus heard Jesus was walking by and shouted, then he shouted even louder when others tried to shush him up, he also jumped up at the chance when Jesus invited him over, and finally, he did not mince words when asked what he wanted.  

 

What was the end result of all this?  He received an immediate, glorious answer and followed Jesus down the road.

 

It makes perfect sense to me to want to hang out with the One Who helps me so much.  And let’s not lose sight of an important truth: When we have an encounter with Christ, our lives dramatically improve. 

 

This blind beggar is actually a faith hero who is the perfect example of what the verse above means.  He did not doubt that Jesus could help him, or he wouldn’t have shouted so much and so loud, and when invited over he literally jumped at the chance.  Any hesitation on his part would have indicated doubt.  How could he have known so much about the Lord?  Jesus’ reputation preceded Him, and you and I have the wonderful Bible at our fingertips whenever we want to read about it and strengthen our faith.

 

Maybe some of us have been feeling a little like Bartimaeus did sitting on the side of that road—trapped by our circumstances without a clue as to when Jesus will show up.  The good news is He’s only a prayer away.

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bartimaeus’ faith is inspiring.  What a beautiful example of what trusting in Jesus looks like.  Today we approach You believing that You are real and that You care enough to respond.  Help us believe.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~