"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
Not wanting to deal with hope deferred and disappointment, many times we are guilty of praying small prayers, aiming low, and believing for too little. Yet, the Word of God keeps bringing us back to the fact that we serve an all-powerful God of miracles that wants us to believe for amazing, "only God" answers to prayer that will give Him all the glory!
Let's not allow our prayer lives to live in the lowlands of praying safe and no-risk prayers. For example, praying for a good parking spot at the mall or that the DMV line would be miraculously short. Today I want you to raise your faith by praying some big prayers. Let's believe for, ask for, and expect that the God of miracles will do what only He can do in our lives!
A miracle by definition, according to Merriam-Webster.com, is "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." This supports the Bible's definition of a miracle. A concise description of a mriacle, based on the three Greek words used for a miracle in the New Testament is "an unusual event/releasing supernatural power/to confirm the gospel."
As we pray and believe for miracles, we are asking for something beyond our human ability or capacity that will give glory to God and lead people to Jesus. I've heard many of you say it this way: "ONLY GOD!" Only God could have cured cancer, only God could have saved the marriage, only God could have opened the door. As we study miracles in the New Testament church, we will find some recurring themes and common denominators of faith, passion, and desperation. There are many questions we could ask and explore about miracles, or the lack of them in our day, but I think the most productive endeavor would be to discover and apply some of the frequently found behaviors of those who received a miracle. Here's a familiar miracle, a snapshot of a day in the life of Jesus.
They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, "Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!" Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, "Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped in his tracks. "Call him over." They called him. "It's your lucky day! Get up! He's calling you to come!" Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus. Jesus said, "What can I do for you?" The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "On your way," said Jesus. "Your faith has saved and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:46-52 (MSG)Other versions say "Your faith has made you whole."
And there we have it, the miracle moment! A guy who has lived the life of a blind beggar is now seeing, possibly for the first time and following Jesus and his entourage down the road. But why did Jesus storp and heal Bartimaeus? There were thousands of sick and desperate people coming to Jesus. They lined the main streets begging for alms and asking for mercy, and yet, Jesus stops and heals Bartimaeus. I believe we can learn something from this story that will help to position our lives for an "ONLY GOD" miracle.
Jesus spoke the key phrase, "Your faith has made you whole." Yes, there are plenty of people that Jesus healed who had little faith or no faith. He even raised dead people without their permission or involvement in the miracle. Yet we can see from this story that our faith and desperation can position us to be recipients of the power and presence of God. Here are some attributes of miracle-producing faith:
1. FAITH HAS A VOCABULARY
"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." Mark 10:47
It's worth noting that Bartimaeus didn't call Jesus the son of Joseph or Mary but used a title that revealed the faith that Jesus was, in fact, the promised Messiah. He believed that Jesus would open the eyes of the blind and unplug the deaf ears (see Isaiah 35:5). A vocabulary of faith declares who Jesus is and what God can do. So, here's the question: Do you spend more of your prayer time crying out, "Why God?" or "Why me?" than you do declaring who God is in that situation and explicitly asking for a miracle?
2. GREAT FAITH FREES US FROM A PRIDE (IT DOESN'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK)
When Bartimaeus was rebuked by the crowd, he shouted all the louder and all the more. This is the point of faith, and or desperation, that pushes us to do things that pride and maintaining your self-image would never allow. This desperate and unashamed type of behavior is a reoccurring theme in the New Testament possibly the access point to "childlike faith."
3. GREAT FAITH CASTS OFF WHAT NEEDS TO BE LEFT BEHIND
In Bartimaeus' culture, beggars would sit on cloaks (large coats that served as a mat to sleep on and a blanket to wrap up in at night). Bartimaeus would sit on the cloak during the day begging for spare change. The cloak would have been filthy from lying beside the road day and night. This cloak or garment is a picture of our broken past. When Jesus told his disciples to call Bartimaeus over, Bartimaeus throws off this cloak, this identification and connection to a life of blindness and begging.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
4. GREAT FAITH HAS A BEHAVIOR (IT DOESN'T STOP PURSUING JESUS)
"He kept calling out."
By now you have probably recognized a consistent theme in a life of pursuing God. WE NEVER STOP PURSUING. There is something about a tenacious, desperate, pride-abandoning faith that's determined to apprehend the answer. This is the kind of faith that receives a miracle. My prayer for you today is that you would be stirred in your spirit to believe bid, ask big, and to quote the old lyric from JOURNEY, "Don't Stop BELIEVIN." We are pursuing a mighty God who still performs miracles!
MEMORY VERSE - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8
PRAYER DIRECTIVE - As you spend time with the Lord today, take some time to read a few of Jesus' miracles, and let fresh vision of what He can do fill your spirit. See Him walking the streets of Jerusalem and the back roads of Galilee. Envision Him calling blind Bartimaeus over, see Him healing the ten lepers, picture Him separating the crowd to heal the woman with the issue of blood.
Ask God for a tenacious faith that will:
- Declare who He is and what He can do, regardless of the situation.
- Do not worry about what anyone things, willing to lose pride and be as humble as a desperate child in order to receive the miracle.
- Cast off what needs to be left behind from the past.
- Be persistent, don't let people or delays keep you from reaching out to Jesus again and again. . . until the answer comes!
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