An Eye-Opener

Today’s Verse:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. ~Mark 10:51-52

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Recently, I had the privilege to be with a pastor in the Philippines who is visually impaired. He has retinal pigmentation. He is considered legally blind. One of the greatest gifts God has given to us is the ability to see. With sight, we can discern colors, shapes, sizes, people, the beautiful, and the unsightly. Without sight, a person lives in a world of darkness and unknown. He is solely dependent upon others to guide and lead him. This morning, we are looking at the man who was born blind until Jesus changed his situation. This morning, let us see a man who cried, “I can see!”

We see this man and his EXTREMITY. “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.” As Jesus entered into Jericho, hHe met a blind man who was begging on the highway side. We see this man’s name: his name was Bartimaeus. His name meant “the son of Timaeus.” However, what catches our attention is this man’s need: he was blind! He could not see. This plight reduced this man to begging, where the only way he could support himself was by begging. What a picture of how sin blinds us in our hearts and minds to the things of God.

We see this man and his EARNESTNESS. Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was coming his way. Immediately, he began crying out loudly for Jesus to have mercy on him. The people standing by were annoyed that Bartimaeus cried out so loudly, and tried to keep him quiet. However, the more they tried to quiet him, the more loudly and earnestly he began to cry out. Even though this man could not see Jesus, he heard enough that he knew the Lord could give him sight. Bartimaeus is an encouragement to us on about praying with earnestness. Oh, that each of us would pray with such desire, faith, and persistence as Bartimaeus.

We see this man and the EXTRAORDINARY. Jesus stops for this man! I am thankful that the Lord stops to listen to our prayers. Jesus asked, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” Bartimaeus replied, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” This man knew that only Jesus could give him his sight. Immediately, Jesus gave Bartimaeus sight! A miracle was performed. This man’s eyes were opened! I imagine that the first words out of Bartimaeus as he received his sight were, “I can see! I can see!” When a sinner gets saved, he sees the light! When our spiritual eyes are opened, we can see the world from the eye lens of God. We need our spiritual eyes opened to see the fields that are white unto harvest. We need our spiritual eyes opened to get a vision of things that can be!

We see this man and how he is EXTOLLED. Jesus tells his man, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” This man is extolled for his faith. His faith enabled him to see for the first time. Others around him were skeptical about Who Jesus was, but Bartimaeus had faith in the power of Christ. Faith does many things for us. Faith opens our eyes! Faith opens doors! Faith moves the hand of God to do the extraordinary. Faith makes us whole! Without faith, we are incomplete and incapacitated. With faith, we are pleasing to God! Faith believes the incredible, sees the invisible, and does the impossible!

Have you been blinded to things that only faith in God can open your eyes to? Is there some need in your life that is so pressing that, you are willing to be persistent in your praying for God to do the extraordinary? May God open your eyes so that, like Bartimaeus, you can say, “I can see! I can see!”

Have an eye-opening God Morning!

Bible Reading Schedule: Deuteronomy 21-23

#Faith #Mark #Prayer