June 8th, 2022
This week, I want to ask you a question: What is it you are crying out for? Take a second to think about it. Is there anything? As Christians, I think we can allow ourselves to become satisfied with where we are and how far we’ve come. That may work for a moment, but if we’re content to stay in one place, we will eventually die there. As believers, we should have a constant cry in our hearts for more!
It’s important to understand that when we cry out to God, it’s not because He’s hard of hearing or unwilling to listen. Exodus 2:23 says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.” When God’s people cried out from Egypt, He heard, answered, and delivered them from slavery. Romans 10:13 reminds us that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God is always listening and waiting to be gracious!
Mark 10:46-52 records the story of a man who encountered Jesus a little differently than most people did. It says,
“As [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”
At this point in the life and ministry of Jesus, He was very popular. He’d been performing many mighty miracles and his fame has spread throughout Israel, to the point that a blind beggar on the side of the road had heard about this man named Jesus. Bartimaeus refused to be content with the knowledge that Jesus was passing by without receiving a touch from Him. He knew Jesus could open blind eyes, but he wanted His life to intersect with that truth. So many are content with only the knowledge of Jesus. They may know in their heads who Jesus is and what He can do. They may know and believe He has the power to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, set the captive free, and raise the dead. However, they never get a tenacity to cry out for that truth of heaven to be made a reality in their lives. How many blind beggars do you think there were in that city as Jesus passed through? How many sick and desperate people do you think there were? I think there would have been multitudes of people that needed a touch from Jesus. However, we see the powerful principle in this story that God responds to the cry of faith. Bartimaeus, unlike every other beggar in that city, began to cry out, “Jesus have mercy on me.” At that point, people began to tell him to be quiet. They probably told him that this miracle working man with crowds following Him wouldn’t care about a beggar, but they were wrong. When everyone told Bartimaeus to quiet down, he shouted even louder and when Jesus heard the sound of Bartimaeus’ desperation, He called him. He asked what he wanted Him to do and healed him immediately saying, “your faith has made you well.”
There is so much powerful truth in this story for our own lives. Jesus has the power to heal anyone but if Bartimaeus had not cried out, that truth would never have become his truth. James 4:2 tells us that “[we] do not have, because [we] do not ask.” Matthew 7:7-8 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
God is gracious and longs to give us every promise of His Word. He’s a good Father! However, we have a responsibility to cry out for those things that He has promised. Zechariah 10:1 tells us to “Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain.” God wants us to ask Him for that which He wants to give!
I’ve heard my pastor say many times that to be a believer is to live with a divine dissatisfaction. It’s not that we live discontented, but with a constant desire for more of heaven. As long as we live, we will not reach the end of His love, exhaust the resources of heaven, or get bored with gazing at the God of heaven. There is always more. We have to remember that we aren’t beggars, but believers. The cry of our hearts isn’t about need—it’s about faith and desperation.
So, I ask you again, what is the cry of your heart? What is it that you’re desperate for? Do you know? God wants us to be consumed with desire for heaven, so that He can fill us with faith for more and pour out His goodness from the storehouses of heaven. If the cry of your heart isn’t what it could be or if your heart feels numb –not crying out for anything—I encourage you to seek God’s face in His word. His word is a hammer, a fire, and a sword—living and active. It will bring us to life and set us on fire. Begin to cry out in desperation, again. Don’t be content with knowing what God can do but push forward until that reality intersects with your situation. He longs for His truth to be alive and demonstrated, in us.
I believe God is listening for the cry of His people right now. What is He hearing? Are we asking for a move of heaven that will heal our nation? Are we asking for our families to be shaken by His goodness? Are we asking and believing for every promise of His Word to come to pass? Jesus stopped everything to respond to Bartimaeus’ desperate faith and He never changes. I believe it’s time as a church to seek in faith like we never have before. It’s what we were made for and nothing will ever satisfy us except a life spent in divine dissatisfaction, seeing God do what He promised He would every, single time.
It’s important to understand that when we cry out to God, it’s not because He’s hard of hearing or unwilling to listen. Exodus 2:23 says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.” When God’s people cried out from Egypt, He heard, answered, and delivered them from slavery. Romans 10:13 reminds us that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God is always listening and waiting to be gracious!
Mark 10:46-52 records the story of a man who encountered Jesus a little differently than most people did. It says,
“As [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”
At this point in the life and ministry of Jesus, He was very popular. He’d been performing many mighty miracles and his fame has spread throughout Israel, to the point that a blind beggar on the side of the road had heard about this man named Jesus. Bartimaeus refused to be content with the knowledge that Jesus was passing by without receiving a touch from Him. He knew Jesus could open blind eyes, but he wanted His life to intersect with that truth. So many are content with only the knowledge of Jesus. They may know in their heads who Jesus is and what He can do. They may know and believe He has the power to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, set the captive free, and raise the dead. However, they never get a tenacity to cry out for that truth of heaven to be made a reality in their lives. How many blind beggars do you think there were in that city as Jesus passed through? How many sick and desperate people do you think there were? I think there would have been multitudes of people that needed a touch from Jesus. However, we see the powerful principle in this story that God responds to the cry of faith. Bartimaeus, unlike every other beggar in that city, began to cry out, “Jesus have mercy on me.” At that point, people began to tell him to be quiet. They probably told him that this miracle working man with crowds following Him wouldn’t care about a beggar, but they were wrong. When everyone told Bartimaeus to quiet down, he shouted even louder and when Jesus heard the sound of Bartimaeus’ desperation, He called him. He asked what he wanted Him to do and healed him immediately saying, “your faith has made you well.”
There is so much powerful truth in this story for our own lives. Jesus has the power to heal anyone but if Bartimaeus had not cried out, that truth would never have become his truth. James 4:2 tells us that “[we] do not have, because [we] do not ask.” Matthew 7:7-8 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
God is gracious and longs to give us every promise of His Word. He’s a good Father! However, we have a responsibility to cry out for those things that He has promised. Zechariah 10:1 tells us to “Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain.” God wants us to ask Him for that which He wants to give!
I’ve heard my pastor say many times that to be a believer is to live with a divine dissatisfaction. It’s not that we live discontented, but with a constant desire for more of heaven. As long as we live, we will not reach the end of His love, exhaust the resources of heaven, or get bored with gazing at the God of heaven. There is always more. We have to remember that we aren’t beggars, but believers. The cry of our hearts isn’t about need—it’s about faith and desperation.
So, I ask you again, what is the cry of your heart? What is it that you’re desperate for? Do you know? God wants us to be consumed with desire for heaven, so that He can fill us with faith for more and pour out His goodness from the storehouses of heaven. If the cry of your heart isn’t what it could be or if your heart feels numb –not crying out for anything—I encourage you to seek God’s face in His word. His word is a hammer, a fire, and a sword—living and active. It will bring us to life and set us on fire. Begin to cry out in desperation, again. Don’t be content with knowing what God can do but push forward until that reality intersects with your situation. He longs for His truth to be alive and demonstrated, in us.
I believe God is listening for the cry of His people right now. What is He hearing? Are we asking for a move of heaven that will heal our nation? Are we asking for our families to be shaken by His goodness? Are we asking and believing for every promise of His Word to come to pass? Jesus stopped everything to respond to Bartimaeus’ desperate faith and He never changes. I believe it’s time as a church to seek in faith like we never have before. It’s what we were made for and nothing will ever satisfy us except a life spent in divine dissatisfaction, seeing God do what He promised He would every, single time.
No Comments