Blind Bartimaeus Therapy
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hi,
"Then they came
to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with
a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus
(that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside
begging.
When
he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Many
rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all
the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Jesus
stopped and said, "Call him." So they called
to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling
you." Throwing
his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
"What
do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, "Rabbi,
I want to see."
"Go," said
Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately
he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road" (Mark
10:46-52).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I love the blind Bartimaeus story.
In fact, I developed a form of "spiritual therapy"
I like to call "Blind Bartimaeus Therapy." I've tried
it and it brought healing to my spirit and I share it with
you today in hopes that you might benefit from it as well.
Several years ago I was
going through an extremely rough time in my life and I was
reading this portion of Scripture about blind Bartimaeus.
Fortunately,
I was alone in the house at the time (a very important factor
so you don't scare your family) and my spirit was absolutely
miserable and heavy with the pain of my personal suffering. So,
in my desperation I made the decision to audibly cry out
in faith, "Son
of David, have mercy on me!" I knew I needed
His mercy and I cried out for it just like
Bartimaeus did. I
needed the touch of the Master, and I
couldn't see any another way out of my misery. It wasn't
enough. So I decided to cry out a little louder - I
needed Him to know I really meant it from the
depths of my soul - "Son
of David, have mercy on me!"
I did this several times until I felt like I got Jesus'
full attention, just like Bartimaeus had done. Equally important,
my loud and fervent petition helped me focus my every thought
and faith on God and His ability to meet my need. I
continued by reading Jesus' words out loud as if He were
speaking directly to me, "Russ, what do you want
me to do for you?" At
this point, I poured out my heart (outloud still) and asked
for the specific help I needed from Him in my situation.
Afterward, I felt a great relief and confidence that He had
heard me. I "saw" Him in His power over my situation
and I felt strengthened.
Are you going through a time of desperation? If Jesus were
to stop by to see you today, would you call out to Him
for help, or
would you shy away from revealing your
deepest need? If
not today, perhaps one day, in a time when you are desperate
for Him, you'll feel the need - as Bartimaeus and I did -
to cry out to Him, "Son of David,
have mercy on me!"
Keep this "therapy" in mind for that day. Go
out to your car or some secluded place where you can, without
inhibition, yell out loud "Son
of David, have mercy on me!"
And when He tenderly inquires "What
do you want me to do for you?" I encourage
you to recognize the Lord's omnipotent power to meet your
need. When He has your full attention and you have His,
don't be afraid to pour out your heart to Him. He loves
you and laid down His life for you - for all of us. He
wants to help us when we are hurting. He wants us to
have faith in Him.
Your Brother in Christ,
Russ
P.S. - If you enjoy this edition of the Inspirational
Note,
please forward it along to your family and friends. Our goal
is to encourage as many as possible in their Christian walk
and hopefully provide a little inspiration. You are not
alone.
Russ & Janelle Hansen
The GOOD BOOK Company LLC
E-mail: inspiration@thegoodbookcompany.com
1-888-808-0070
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