Lindsay Roberts – Third of five parts
When Jesus passed through Jericho with His disciples one day, Bartimaeus ― a blind beggar sitting by the side of the road ― did something with the dissatisfaction he felt in his life. The Bible says, “He began to cry out, and say, ‘Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me’” (Mark 10:47). I want you to notice something very important about the way in which Bartimaeus cried out … he cried out to God.
Very often in our dissatisfaction with things in our life, we cry out to everyone but God. We cry to our employer, our husband or wife, our children, our pastor, our neighbor, our friend, a social worker, an employee at work who we feel has wronged us, the government, or perhaps even a total stranger. Sometimes we cry out to anyone and everyone who will listen. Perhaps it seems we cry until we’re blue in the face, and we become even more dissatisfied when we don’t see results.
But you see, it’s not the crying and moaning and sobbing that moves us toward the solution to the problem. It’s not until we cry out to God that we are crying to Someone Who can truly solve our problem at its root. Bartimaeus cried, “Thou son of David.” That particular phrase was used for the Messiah, the One Who could do what nobody else could do. Bartimaeus recognized Jesus as being the only Source of his miracle. To cry out, “Thou son of David,” was to cry out in faith. Bartimaeus was crying out with the expectation that the Son of David, Jesus Christ, would hear him and help him.
Many times people have said to me, “Well, it was easier to cry out to Jesus in that day because Jesus was a real person you could touch and hear and see.” I reply, “Not to Bartimaeus.” Bartimaeus was in the same position you and I are in today when it comes to crying out in our faith. He had heard about Jesus and he had heard that Jesus was coming to town. But, he certainly couldn’t see Him and he cried out with faith long before Jesus was within range to reach out and touch Him. Don’t sit by the side of the road of life in your dissatisfaction today. Take a second step toward becoming totally free.
Cry out to God, not with moaning and griping and complaining and “why me, Lord?” type of cries, but cry out to God with faith, fully expecting your loving Heavenly Father to hear and answer you. Expect Him to do on your behalf what no other person can do for you.
