Bartimaeus, stick a sock in it!

 

 

What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. (Mark 10:51)

 

 

Bartimaeus was the lucky guy to whom this question was addressed. He was blind, a beggar, and when he heard Jesus was passing by he began yelling, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

The crowds tried to quiet him. If it was 2008, security would have tasered him. But he was desperate. No way was he going to let this opportunity slip by. 

A blind man in that day was helpless, hopeless, destined to sit by the road and spend his pathetic life begging. Bartimaeus knew this might well be his only hope of rising above his circumstances. He kept yelling, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus turned and asked:

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Wow! I’m trying to imagine how that must have felt. Like Bill Gates handing you his ATM card and giving you the PIN number. What is it you need? Take my debit card. There’s enough in the account to cover it. Just take what you need!

What lesson can we take from Bartimaeus today? A couple of things. First, seize the opportunity when it presents itself. It may not come around again. Jesus may never have passed that way again. Bartimaeus knew it may be his one and only hope.

The other lesson? Persistence. Tenacity. Forget the detractors. Don’t listen to those who try to hold you back, hold you down.

If there is something you want, if you have a dream, a vision, go after it with your whole heart. Make no room for discouragement. Put away doubt. Cling to hope. Strengthen your faith. Then be ready to hear the words of Jesus:

“What do you want me to do for you?”

He’s still asking that question today of those who cry to him with their whole heart!

 

Hidden between the lines

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sinai, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Exodus 17:1

Discovered this little passage a while back. It’s the kind of verse I would  normally fly right over the top of. But something between the lines caught my eye.

It seems to be saying that sometimes, God intentionally leads us into dry places. Look at the context. The Israelites were following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and it led them to a place where there was no water.

I’m not sure about you, but in my life, I have times I feel close to God. Other times, He’s light years away.

I love it when my time of devotions is sweet. God is speaking to me, encouraging me, giving me direction. I feel His presence in my prayer life.

But other times, just to be honest, I’m dry inside. Devotions are tedious. Prayer is laborious. Your time with the Lord is about as exciting as kissing your sister. (Sorry about that, Carolyn!)

Usually in the dry times, I blame myself. It’s my fault. I must be crowding God out of my life. He’s displeased with me for something I’ve done.  

But could it be that, like way back then, He is leading us into a place where there is no water?

See, it’s easy to live victoriously when everything is going well. Our faith soars when we are experiencing the blessings of God, when He is answering our prayers.

But during the dry times, all we have to hold on to is our faith. But the faith that really pleases God is the faith that remains strong when nothing is going right, when God is a universe away.

True faith evidences itself in the realm of the unseen.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

I don’t like the dry times but I have come to learn that in those times, God is often doing His greatest work in my life. And if I will remain strong in my faith, well, like in the days of the Children of Israel, a major gush is just about to happen.

 

Wanted: Dead or Alive. Preferably Dead!

As Saul and his men began to close in, David tried his best to escape, but it was no use. But just then, a messenger reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again, so Saul quit the chase and returned to fight the Philistines. 1 Samuel 23:26-28

Who said God has no sense of humor?! I got a chuckle reading this passage today. It is so full of irony.

Think about it. David has two major enemies; the Philistines, who have his picture on every post office bulletin board in the land, and Saul, who sees David as a threat to his throne.

So Saul chases David down and corners him. No way of escape, no place to hide. David is toast.

Then Saul’s cell phone rings. Satellite images show Philistine troops unexpectedly amassing on the Israeli border. Saul has to pull back from his assault on David and return to the Pentagon.

The Philistines actions have unwittingly allowed their arch rival, David, to escape the hand of Saul!

The irony blows me away!

When David was trapped, I’ve got to believe he was praying. “O God, send someone to get me out of this mess! You saved me from the mouth of the bear and from the lion. You spared me from Goliath, the Philistine Giant…”

And I can imagine God saying, “Philistine? Did someone say Philistine? Hmm, I’ve got an idea…” and he uses one of David’s enemies to spare him from the other.

So where are we going with this? What is the message for us today?

When you and I are in trouble, we should never limit the way God can rescue us. He may send help from the least likely place. The last place on earth you are expecting. Just keep trusting Him. You never know how He will come through!

 

Not If but When

Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God’s answers and remember to be thankful when they come. Colossians 4:2

Not sure about you but I needed this passage today. Good reminder!

It’s easy to get discouraged when we don’t see our prayers answered right away. Often, it’s a matter of timing. He’s in one time zone. We’re on the other side of the International Date Line. We need to sync our watches with His. Adjust our schedule to His.

Paul is saying, don’t be weary. Don’t give up. It’s too soon to quit, to throw in the towel. Just keep watching for His answers. They’re on the way.

Paul reminds us to be thankful and he doesn’t say, “if” they come but “when” they come. The answers will come!

I have a little habit I adopted a couple years ago. It works well for me. Let me share it with you.

I’m facing some mountains in my life, and they are pretty ominous. Foreboding. I’ve prayed long and hard but they still loom in my way.

So I’ve decided I’m not going to spend a lot of time looking at them. Not that I’m in denial. I’m not pretending they don’t exist. But if I stand there and stare at them all day, I fall into discouragement.

So rather than look at the mountains, I look for any and every sign of encouragement, that God is at work, no matter how small it may seem, and then give Him thanks for it.

Thankfulness takes our focus off the problem and places it on the One who can solve the problem. He is the one on whom we should fix our eyes, not on the mountain.

…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith… (Hebrews 12:2)

The mountains you face, whether in your family, your finances, your health, look for every sign that God is at work, no matter how small it may seem, and give Him thanks.

And if He answers in a way you did not expect, that’s okay too. Even better! He knows what’s best.

 

Trust me on this one

But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” Mark 5:36 (LB)

Jairus, the leader of the local synagogue, came to Jesus for help. His twelve year old daughter was at the point of death and she needed a miracle.

It’s interesting Jairus would turn to Jesus. Most synagogue leaders saw Jesus as an adversary. When you think synagogue you think Sabbath. You think Jewish customs and traditions. You remember Sunday morning headlines: Jesus breaks Sabbath!

The Jewish leaders were intent on discrediting Jesus. Sabotaging His ministry. Even plotting His death.

But Jairus was desperate. His daughter was dying. Doctors couldn’t help. There was no medicine, no further treatment. So he swallowed his pride and turned to Jesus.

It must have been humbling. How, he wonders, will Jesus respond? What will Jesus say? “Hey. Don’t I know you? Yeah. You’re the leader of the synagogue. You’re the guy who tried to throw me headlong off a cliff the other day.”

“Who, me? Oh, that’s a guy who looks a lot like me. I get that all the time.” 

But in desperation, he humbly asked Jesus to come and heal his little girl. Forget the past. Forget the differences of theology. He had a problem and only Jesus had the solution.

Thankfully, Jesus responded the way he does with all who turn to him with a broken and contrite heart. In His mercy, He offered to heal the little girl.

But then the text message came through, “It’s too late. The girl is dead.”

Jesus told Jairus, “Ignore it. Put it on vibrate. The girl will live. Trust me on this.”

And Jesus touched the girl and she sprang to her feet, alive and well.

So, what is the application? How does this apply to us today?

There may be things we no longer trust God for. Things we have given up trusting him for. We hear the words, “the girl is dead” and we become discouraged and give up.

Today, Jesus is saying, “Ignore the detractors. Don’t believe the circumstances. Things are not always as they appear. Trust me on this one.” 

O God, forgive us for the times our faith has wavered. Forgive us for our lack of trust. You have always proven yourself faithful and you will continue to be faithful until the end. Amen.

Some things you can do today:

1. Think of something in your life that has died; a dream, a goal. Now ask God to renew your vision and restore it to life.
2. Begin to trust Him for the answer. Don’t focus on the circumstances - they will pull you down. Look to Jesus - He will lift you up.

 

SOAP

I remember dinnertime when I was a kid. My mom would ask, “Del, did you wash your hands?” Yep! “Did you use soap?” Nope! “Go wash them again and this time, use soap.”

God’s Word is sometimes likened to water. Ephesians 5:26 speaks of his Word washing us like water and cleansing us.

Today, as we continue our discussion on the importance of daily devotions and journaling, I’m going to give you some soap to go along with the water.

I’m talking about an acronym, SOAP. It stands for scripture, observation, application, prayer. It’s a little outline I follow when I journal.

First, write out the Scripture you you are going to journal on. Then, make an Observation about it. What is it in the passage that captured your attention? Now, write the Application. How does the scripture apply to your life? Is it telling you something you need to correct? Is it warning you of a pitfall to avoid? Is it a promise for you to cling to? Finally, write a Prayer. It can be long or short. I’ve written a whole page and I’ve written one line.

The S, O, and A are an opportunity for God to speak to you. The P is your time to respond. And as a parenthetical thought, you’ll see more growth in your Christian walk if you let Him do most of the talking.

So let me share a devotion I wrote in my journal today just to give you the idea.

Scripture: He delivers His people, preserving them from harm; He does great miracles in heaven and earth. Daniel 6:27

Observation: Daniel had just been delivered from the lion’s den. Earlier, King Darius had been tricked into signing a law that forced him to send Daniel, his most trusted advisor, to the den of lions. But God spared Daniel, and upon hearing the good news, the king gave praise and glorified God!

“He delivers His people, preserving them from harm!”

It’s interesting that God did not prevent Daniel from going into the lion’s den, but He protected him while he was there.

Application: Sometimes I feel like I’m in a den of lions. I’m overwhelmed with problems, too big for me to handle. I feel vulnerable, defenseless, like I am about to be swallowed up.

For some reason, I may never understand, God did not prevent me from finding myself in these situations. But today, His Word gives me hope and courage that He will protect me in the midst of them. I need not fear. He is with me.

Prayer: O God, thank you for your Word. It gives me courage and faith to face my toughest trials. I take comfort, knowing you are the same, yesterday, today and forever. What you did for Daniel, you will do for me, as I keep my trust in you. Amen.

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Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to keep from getting sidetracked in your daily devotions when you find yourself in some of those difficult to understand passages. Hope to see you then.

 

Dad’s praying chair

Living in Hawaii, we get calls at three in the morning from telemarketers trying to sell time shares in Florida. They have no clue we’re six hours behind. One actually thought Hawaii was in the Caribbean. 

Sleep is a personal thing with me. I love my pillow. My futon is my favorite friend. So anything that gets me up at night better be important.  

Having said that, today I found a verse in my Bible I highlighted years ago:

Rise in the night and cry to your God. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord; lift up your hands to Him; plead for your children… Lamentations 2:19

I discovered that verse while going through some deep waters with one of my children. I had underlined, rise in the night, and plead for your children. Dated it September 9, 1999.

This passage speaks to me of someone who is desperate for an answer. Desperate to the point of sacrificing personal comfort in order to be heard by God.

“Rise in the night…plead for your children…”

The sin that grips our children and their generation is strong. Unrelenting! It attaches itself like a nut rusted to a bolt. They become inseparable.

Prayer, serious, sleep depriving prayer, is the only thing that will break the grip. It is the penetrating oil that will dissolve the corrosion and loosen the threads and cause it to become functional once again.

I actually went to Sears and bought a chair back in 1999. A big, overstuffed chair for the living room. And I would get up at night, sit in the chair and pray. The kids started calling it, “Dad’s praying chair.”

God heard the prayers of that heavy-hearted dad and proved Himself faithful once again. Not that everything is perfect. But when I think of the way it was then and the way it is today, I can only thank Him for His mercy and grace!

What is it that makes you toss and turn at night? Is there something going on in your world that keeps you awake? If so, let me suggest you get yourself a praying chair.

 

Hurry up and wait

Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord … Psalm 27:14

It happened again this morning. I got in line at the grocery store and it stopped moving. New clerk. She couldn’t figure out the credit card machine.

So I bounced over to the next line and it comes screeching to a halt. The lady in front of me can’t find her checkbook.

Meantime the first line is now moving. The guy who was behind me is walking out the door with his bag of groceries. That would have been me!

Am I the only one this happens to?

And why is it that every time I’m heading for the ten items or less line, ten people or more cut in front of me? 

I really don’t like waiting in lines. I don’t like sitting at red lights. I don’t like waiting for the check to come in the mail.

And to be honest, I don’t like waiting for God to answer my prayers. So I take matters into my own hands and then I really make a mess of it. 

God allows us to wait for a reason. There may be areas in our life that need tweaking. Or a major overhaul! Some pride, immaturity, wrong attitudes. And He can’t give us the desires of our heart. Not just yet.

So we learn patience, understanding, perseverance. We change our attitudes. Let go of bad habits. Develop new disciplines.

And then when He sees the time is right, the light turns green, the check arrives in the mail. God answers our prayers.

 

It’s all about timing

Today, I was in the first few chapters of Acts and I was intrigued by the story of the crippled man in Acts three and four, the man healed by Peter annd John. It says he was over forty and had been carried to the temple gate daily to beg alms.

Wait a minute. Didn’t Jesus go in and out of the temple for the past twenty or thirty years? If so, are we saying he passed by the crippled man and didn’t heal him?

Think back.

In Luke two we find Jesus in the temple at age twelve debating the elders. The beggar may have overheard Jesus telling his parents, ”I must be about my Father’s business.”

In Mark twelve, there’s the story of the widow’s mite – happened at the entrance to the temple. The beggar may have been watching the elderly lady throw her two small coins into the kettle.

And don’t forget the time in John two where Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple. The beggar is lucky he wasn’t stampeded.

Jesus may have walked past the man hundreds of times in his life. So why did He never heal him?

I believe it was all about timing.

God has a master plan for our lives and attached to that plan is a time-line. Everything must be done in the proper time. A contractor  doesn’t put up the building without first laying the foundation. He doesn’t close in the walls before installing the plumbing and wiring. Everything is done in the proper time.

I confess, I’m guilty of complaining when I don’t get my prayers answered right away. I want the walls to go up and God is still pouring the concrete slab. Today, I hear Him saying, “Be patient. When the time is right, the answer will be there.”

Not too early. Never too late. Always right on time!

 

We’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. Exodus 14:13

The scene was the shore of the Red Sea. The Israelites were fleeing Egypt and they took a wrong turn and ended up in a cul-de-sac. Mountains on the left and right, the sea in front, Egyptian army tanks coming up from behind. What could be worse?

Actually, that was the least of Moses’ worries. It wasn’t what was on the left or right, or in front or back that had him biting his nails. It’s what he was standing in the middle of – two million angry Israelites. They hadn’t had their espresso and they were in a rotten mood.

“Yo, Moses. You bring us out here in the desert to die. What’s up with that?”

Credit Moses for not panicking. He had been through tough times before. And he had seen God come through. God had never failed him and Moses couldn’t see it happening now.

One of the best lessons we can learn when we are in a tight situation is to think back. Think back to the times God came to our rescue. Remember his faithfulness. His answers to our prayers. Often in ways we never expected. Then try to remember when He ever failed us. “Hmmm? I’m drawing a blank!”

I’m preaching to myself today. I’ve got obstacles I’m facing – Red Sea in front, Egyptians in the back. But here and now, I remind myself, “Del, don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today!”