Desperation
Things happen with God when we are desperate.Bartimaeus had been blind from birth. Just pause and think of this: He had never seen a face, not even his own in a reflection; never looked at his own mother; never witnessed the sun or the moon ... only complete darkness.Those without sight usually have extremely keen hearing. No doubt as he sat by the roadside, he had picked up on the conversation about Jesus, who was healing everyone. Then one day, Jesus came near.When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47).It was not a calm request. It was a fervent cry.Some sternly told him to be quiet, but “he kept crying out all the more,” repeating his request over and over and over. He did not know if he would be healed, but he was certainly going to be heard!God is moved by a desperate, persistent cry.Jesus stopped, turned to this desperate man, and asked him what he really wanted; He then acknowledged his cry as an act of authentic faith. Bartimaeus was helpless and knew it, but he was turning to the only One he believed could change him. Jesus is moved by faith, and He promptly and fully healed him.It’s just a few lines in the paragraph, but what a mighty miracle happened in an instant! Bartimaeus would never be the same. And God would use his story to challenge millions through the ages about the power of a desperate, faith-filled cry.We tend toward abortive self-sufficiency.Our great problem is that we think we are not blind. Or, having once identified some area of helplessness in our lives or the lives of others, we think we can fix it or manage it ourselves.What is coming from you, as you sit by the road?We are just as helpless as Bartimaeus. And Jesus is just as near.Are you crying out? Do you still think you can handle life, or have you come to such desperation that you are crying unceasingly to the Lord?Are you crying out to God for revival in your life, family, and church, and a mighty spiritual awakening that will open blind eyes in your community and across our nation? Only Jesus can make lifeless eyes see.Not slick programs, not new ideas, not human ingenuity. Only Jesus.