Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" – Mark 10:48

Today's Scripture Reading (December 11, 2020): Mark 10

American poet, Maya Angelou, said that "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently." We need the courage that comes from holding deep convictions, convictions that we refuse to allow to be tossed aside by the pressures of the day. The greatest fear that I hold for our culture is that we have stopped believing in anything deeply. We only know our wants and desires, and nothing shakes us or molds us to the foundations of our souls.

Bartimaeus knew two things were true in his life. The first was that he had a problem that was affecting his entire existence; he was blind. No other issues in his life had a solution as long as that dominant problem remained unsolved. The second thing that was true in Bartimaeus's life is that he believed that Jesus was the solution to his first problem. Bartimaeus wasn't sure that Jesus would solve his pain, but he was convinced that he could. This belief, the blind man held deeply within him; it was a belief of which he refused to let go.

As a result, Bartimaeus made a decision. He was going to do whatever he could do to get his request to Jesus. Armed with nothing but courage and a firmly held belief that Jesus was the solution to his problem, he would make his request. It didn't matter that he had no one to take him to Jesus; he would take himself. It didn't matter if all those blessed with the miracle of sight stood in his way and discouraged him; Bartimaeus was not going to be discouraged. Bartimaeus was planning on knocking on the door, making his request until Jesus answered him with a yes or a no.

Bartimaeus's response to Jesus passing by has often been recommended as a model for our prayers. To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon, we need to;

Take hold of the gates of heaven and shake them with all of your strength, as though you could pull them up by their foundations. Stand at Mercy's door, and take no denial. Knock, and knock, and knock again, demanding that you would obtain an answer to your cries. Cold prayers never win God's ear. Pull back your bow, and with every ounce of your strength, send your prayers like arrows up so that they can reach the height of God's heaven (A rephrasing of the words of Charles Spurgeon).

This was precisely what Bartimaeus did and what he accomplished. And because of the blind man's courage, he received his answer and, more importantly, his sight.

Note: Charles Spurgeon's actual quote:

Take the gates of heaven and shake them with thy vehemence, as though thou wouldst pull them up post and bar and all. Stand at Mercy's door, and take no denial. Knock, and knock, and knock again, as though thou wouldst shake the very spheres, but what thou wouldst obtain an answer to thy cries. 'The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.' Cold prayers never win God's ear. Draw thy bow with thy full strength, if thou wouldst send thy arrow up so high as heaven. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Luke 18