Skip to main content

The Man Who Wouldn't "Shut Up!"

Faith (belief in God and His power to transform) is the foundation upon which every Believer stands. I once heard someone say "Faith is what makes 'hope' real," and that simple statement resonated with me. Mark 10: 46-52 tells of a man that had faith, and his faith kept him focused when the people around him tried to silence his cries for help.

Jesus was leaving Jericho and a large number of people were following him. A blind man was sitting by the highway begging (in those days, the blind who had no one to care for them had to depend on the kindness of others to survive). The blind man heard that Jesus of Nazareth was in the crowd. This news immediately changed his focus. His calls for alms (donations) ceased. He began to yell out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." 

For some reason, the people who could have helped the blind man get to Jesus, decided that the blind man had no right to draw attention to himself. The Bible says "and many charged him that he should hold his peace." Which means they told him strongly to be quiet (shut up!). But the blind man's faith caused him to yell out even louder! "Son of David, have mercy on me."

Jesus stood still. The faith of the blind man had Jesus's attention. Jesus commanded that the blind man be called to come to him. The blind man was told that Jesus was calling for him. He got up, cast off his garment (what he had been using to protect him from the weather, and probably the only possession he had), and walked to where Jesus was. Jesus answered the man's cries by asking what the man wanted. Some might wonder "If Jesus is the Son of God, why did he need to ask the question?" Of course Jesus knew what the man wanted: this was an opportunity for the blind man to ASK for what he wanted (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9, John 4:10, James 1:5). 

Needless to say, the blind man was healed! And the "moral of the story" is? 
Don't let circumstances or other people stop you from crying out to God. Don't shut up!!!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Green Spring Baptist Church

We have been very, very busy getting settled in Virginia. God has favored us tremendously. We have met so many nice and helpful people, and this has allowed us to feel at home here. One thing that was at the top of our list was to connect with a ministry, so that we could continue to walk in our pastoral calling. God orchestrated what I call a "divine appointment." A local pastor, who befriended us early on, invited us to a pastors' prayer breakfast. He introduced us to the attendees while the breakfast was in progress. Immediately after the breakfast, a gentleman approached my husband, introduced himself as a deacon from Green Spring Baptist Church, and asked my husband to come and speak at the ministry. He shared they had been without a pastor for several years and they were hoping to find the right person to fill that role. Dates were arranged. Fast forward to today. My husband is now the interim pastor, and I have been welcomed as a minister. The members are hungry fo...

Unwanted Gift

Before I get into today's post, I want to say "Thank you!" When I started this blog I had no idea there would be so many people who would take the time to read what I write. I want you to know I greatly appreciate each of you and your readership is very encouraging to me.  Unwanted Gift Have you ever received a gift and thought "What were they thinking?" or "What am I going to do with this?" I confess that I have. However, once I got past my initial reaction and opened my mind to the possibilities, some of those unwanted gifts have proven to be a blessing and have become part of my daily lifestyle.  Every believer is a gift that God has given to the world. Each of us has unique talents, abilities, and skills that bring great benefit when we are received and allowed to perform the function that God had in mind. Believers make things better!  However, there are times when what we have to offer will not be wanted, received, or appreciated. Jesus warned hi...

I Grant Thee POWER!

We are having some outside work done on our home, and the contractor knocked on the back door. I went to see what was needed. He was holding the plug to a heavy duty electrical cord and his words were "I need power." I showed him where the outdoor socket was, and asked if he needed water or anything else. He assured me he was fine and I went back to what I was doing. A few minutes later, my sense of humor kicked in. "I need power" popped in my head, and I pictured myself extending my hand toward the contractor, and saying with solemn authority "I grant thee POWER!" I laughed to myself at the thought...and was very grateful I did NOT do that to the contractor.  But as I kept on thinking, a parable came forward. I must always stay "plugged into" God. Just like the contractor, the "tools" that I have cannot function as well, or may not function at all, if I don't stay connected to God through prayer, reading His word, and allowing the ...