Pam Padgett ... teacher
Bartimaeus, a blind man, knew that Jesus could make him see. He did not let
anyone or anything keep him from seeking help from Jesus.
Although there was a great number of people with Jesus, Bartimaeus
did not hesitate to try to be heard. He began crying out to Jesus ...
Mark 10:46 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. 47 And
when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
When many people tried to stop him from crying out to Jesus, telling
him he should be quiet, he didn't hold back. Instead, he cried
out even more ...
Mark 10:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Then Jesus called for Bartimaeus to come to Him. Bartimaeus cast
away his garment as he rose and went to Jesus, not allowing even his
garment to hinder him ...
Mark 10:49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call
the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth
thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment,
rose, and came to Jesus.
Jesus gave Bartimaeus sight as he had asked. And Bartimaeus followed Jesus ...
Mark 10:51 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. 52 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.
Bartimaeus knew that Jesus could help him, and he let nothing keep him from asking Jesus for this help.
When we have a need, regardless of what the need is, God can help us as He wills. But often the devil tries to keep us from turning to God.
Thoughts may come from the devil ... (often small and subtle thoughts) ... telling us such things as "this isn't important enough to pray about" or "nothing can be done so why pray?".
But, like Bartimaeus, we should not be kept back from calling out to
God, making our request known to Him. The devil tries to stop us, but
we persist, for our help is from God.