As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!” Many people told him to be quiet, but he was crying out all of the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!” Jesus answered him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Rabbouni,” the blind man told Him, “I want to see!” “Go your way,” Jesus told him. “Your faith has healed you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Him on the road. Mark 10:46-52 (selected)
My words…
Praise
I picture this scene in my mind: You, surrounded by people, hear a cry from someone in the crowd – a desperate cry, a scream. Bartimaeus didn’t know Your exact location on the road, but he had heard You were around, and he could hear the buzz of the crowd. There was always a crowd. “Shut up!” some yelled to the blind beggar. But he may as well have been deaf, too, for he refused to let You pass without making his presence known. He would have regretted it the rest of his life if he hadn’t snagged Your attention somehow. And he did. Then You asked him a question in which You already knew the answer. “What do you want from Me?” You gave him the privilege of answering a question posed by the Creator of space and time. The beggar was no longer just a part of a crowd. He was in relationship with the Son of God: Master Teacher (Rabbouni) to student. The teacher asked a question. The student answered. “I want to see!” It was an obvious, correct answer, for the beggar left the classroom with 20/20 vision and a lot more besides. I wonder how long he followed You around, proclaiming Your power in his life. It all sounds so fun to me. To see a life totally saved and the unbridled joy that followed. I imagine You laughed every time.
Prayer for me
I picture another scene in my mind: You and I, walking a path. I am troubled and blinded as to what I should do. You ask, “What do you want from Me?” I answer, “I want to see!” But nothing changes. The answers I am looking for do not miraculously appear. I didn’t get what I wanted. I had put my token in the machine, but nothing had popped out. I shake the machine, give it a kick, and walk away. What follows? Frustration. Impatience. Doubt. The machine’s on the fritz.
Oh, what a discontented, ungrateful daughter I am.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I allow base, worldly conclusions to float around my soul like a thick oil spill. Your plans for me, plans prepared before my conception, will withstand my petty tantrums, hands on hips, foot tapping. You would never allow my shallow demands, my entitled wants, to undermine Your lordship. My want for me may not be Your want for me. Forgive me when I attempt to push You aside so I can take over.
More praise
You are the Lord of my life. Your will reigns. It’s a shame that I have spent more time contemplating Your question, “What do you want from me?” I should have been posing my question to you, “What do You want from me?”
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over – will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38
My words…
Praise
Another fine lesson, Master Teacher. You often teach me lessons based on my life in relation to the other guy: my neighbor, my enemy, those in need, those misguided, those I pass on the street. They are lessons learned from your time wearing human skin. You know what it’s like to be misunderstood, falsely accused, ignored, ridiculed, and loathed. How close did you come to taking Satan up on his offer to chuck it all in? How hard did you bite your tongue when the apostles took so long to understand your message? Daily, earthly life must have been agonizingly difficult (except when the little children showed up). Yet You didn’t let loose on them. You didn’t pronounce a hell-bound judgment. You didn’t take a holier-than-thou (which You were) attitude and point fingers and sneer. Instead, You stumbled to the cross and gave everything You had to us, using a measure foretold, a measure that swallowed up death.
Prayer for me
I am guessing that the people I interact with daily would not label me a judge or a condemner. That’s because I keep it to myself when it happens. And it still happens. With the guidance and patience of your Spirit, I have grown in imitating Your example of loving instead of condemning. I pray You will continue to grow me.
Forgive me
The measure I use to forgive (how many times for this one person?) and give (is it tax deductible?) is shameful; it’s a fluctuating scale depending on my mood and state of hunger. Forgive me when I mete out compassion and forgiveness. It’s a trait I learned from the Enemy.
Prayer for others
If I have judged or condemned anyone, I pray you will send them to me so I may ask for their forgiveness. We are all flawed and sinful, and the responsibility of judging belongs to the One who paid the price to do so: You. Not me.
Thank You
Thank You, Lord, for molding me, instructing me, putting up with me when I disappoint. You are the Constant in my inconsistent world.
More praise
Following Your teaching is always a profitable decision. I receive more than I give, blessings upon blessings, stacked up around me in piles. Being a daughter of Yours is the most precious blessing of all.
Your throne has been established from the beginning; You are from eternity.
Psalm 93:2
My words…
You are from eternity. That’s where You live. It’s a place without space and a time without succession. It’s all at once and always has been and always will be. It’s what philosophers and theologians have expressed with invented terms (some rather pretty-sounding) sprinkled with yets and buts and draped in little confidence. You must smile at their attempts. I don’t pretend to know. I’m not sure I want to know, really. I have my own idea about eternity. I carry it in my pocket. No one need know. I pull it out when I feel empty, and it fills. I clutch at it when I’m afraid, and it comforts. I toss it about when I’m joyful, and it laughs. It is You, and it is me together…apart from space and time. If eternity is where You are, then I am there, too. So, I am from eternity. It’s where I live.
As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. Matthew 8:23
My words…
Praise
There’s a lot of following going on these days. Follow us on Facebook! I follow him on Twitter! Following social media doesn’t take much more than clicking time – no real sacrifice. Following You, on the other hand, involves commitment and surrender, learning and unlearning, trust and reliance, time and energy. But, oh what rewards! Transformation and transcendence, peace and security, knowledge and understanding, hope and assurance. You have already done the heavy lifting; You have won the war for me. The trail is blazed. I only need to follow. (too many metaphors? Never!)
Prayer for me
When You lead, I attempt to place my foot where Yours is because I know it’s the best way. It may not be the shortest route or the most comfortable path, but I know it will get me where You want me to be. The disciples followed You into a boat. They had no idea a storm was brewing and they would fear for their lives before they reached shore. You knew, and You led them there. They were different men when they disembarked. They were better men. And that is why I follow You. I want to be a better…everything. I know You will never stop leading. I rely on Your Spirit to strengthen me to keep following.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I don’t act like a follower of Yours. I have zero excuses. I give in to temptation and BAM! I know I shouldn’t have said that condescending remark about the lady in line yesterday. I know I shouldn’t have justified not giving to the needy in my path. I know I shouldn’t do a lot of things I do. I need a purer heart. Clean it. Please.
Thank You
Thank You for never leaving me behind. When I am prancing and skipping along in the thistle, pretending I’m fine, You wait for me to step in line again. And You’re never mad. You really are incredible!
More praise
On the very best of days, when my spirit is at home with Yours, I am not following behind. I am following beside. Those are the days when Your face is shining on me. The longer I live, the more I see Your face. Another reward!
