PERSPECTIVES IN PRAYER
Mark 10:46-52
by: Pastor Edward Vincent Barcial
I heard a story of a ship that was sinking in the middle of a storm, and the captain called out to the crew and said, "Does anyone here know how to pray?" One man stepped forward and said, "Yes sir, I know how to pray." The captain said, "Wonderful, you pray while the rest of us put on life jackets--we're one short."
Have we forgotten the power of prayer to save us in times of danger? How many of us would be willing to take off our lifejacket and depend on God as answer to prayer? The story of Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, in the Bible did just that. We will learn today the 3 perspectives in prayer that he used when Jesus passed by his life and he was healed from his blindness.
A perspective is a viewpoint of anything in our lives. I would like to share three of them regarding prayer that we normally do but somehow we have lost its power in our lives.
First Perspective -Perception in Prayer
Mark 10:46-47 (NKJV)
Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 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!"
The name of the city Jericho came from the Greek word G2410 Ἱεριχώ Hierichō Of Hebrew origin [H3405]; Jericho, a place in Palestine. This Hebrew name came from the root word H7306 רוּח rûach which is translated “to blow, that is, breathe; only (literally) to smell or (by implication perceive (figuratively toanticipate, enjoy): - accept, smell, touch, make of quick understanding. The Holy Spirit is called in the Bible the “Breath (ruach) of God.”
We need the power of the Holy Spirit (ruach) of God to pray. Without Him our prayer is weak.
The setting of this story was in Jericho. When we pray to God, it must be in a condition that we can hear and perceive the presence of Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus may be blind but he has perception. Most of us have eyes to see but could not feel nor enjoy His presence. This is why our prayers are dry and dead. Bartimaeus prayed to Jesus with a loud cry. Let the Holy Spirit (ruach) of God cause our eyes and ears to see and hear Jesus as He passes by. Then we will also cry out loud unto Him and will receive the answer to our prayers.
Second Perspective - Persistence in Prayer
Mark 10:48(NKJV)
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
We also need to be persistent in our prayer like in the parable of the persistent widow. P. U. S. H. means “pray until something happens.” Are we easily discouraged to pray when circumstances and people around us pressure us into silence? Or are we going to cry out even more until we get the answer to our prayers like Jacob did when he said, “ I will not let You go until You bless me!”?
We must go the distance when we pray. John Trapp, an English Anglican Bible commentator once said, “He that cannot pray, let him go to sea, and there he will learn. God never denied that soul anything that went as far as heaven to ask for it.”
James Sidlow Baxter also said, "...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons -- but they are helpless against our prayers."
Third Perspective - Provision in Prayer
Mark 10:49-52(NKJV)
49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Those who had read this passage always overlook the beginning of verse 50 “and throwing aside his garment. Why did Mark wrote this apparently insignificant detail?
Bobby Grisso, Jr. - Professor and Extension Specialist Department of Biological Systems Engineering- Virginia Tech wrote in his article: “The action of throwing aside his cloak is also significant. You could recognize beggars by the clothes they wore (the cloak). Timaeus cast it away. The only means of income was rejected and a new “life-come” (play on income) was expected. That’s faith to cast all that you have at Jesus’ feet and then to wait and see what He gives in return. I believe not only Timaeus gained his sight but also he gained a new profession (followed Jesus along the road) to carry on the ministry of Jesus.”
This is like taking off your lifejacket and just depend upon God through prayer to save you from drowning. We ourselves also have “garments” that we depend on instead of God like friends, loved-ones, money, jobs, position, etc.). Are we willing to surrender all of these so that God will provide us Himself what we truly need? Our provision will come from God. Bartimaeus was willing to give up the only means of livelihood (begging as indicated by his garment to tell people that he needs alms) and called upon Jesus to heal him of his blindness. If he can see with his own eyes, there will be no need to beg. Are we begging God or praying to Him? Maybe we are so spiritually blind to His provision that we want to look pitiful or beggarly before men and God to get sympathy. God is pleased with faith. Bartimaeus had faith in Jesus for him to give up his old lifestyle of depending on his own way and was willing to depend totally on God.
Eli Stanley Jones (1884–1973), a 20th century Methodist Christian missionary and theologian, said, “Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God. “
At the end of this story we can read that he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. Instead of going his way, he became a disciple. Why do we pray? Is it to get our way, or His way? Our will or His will be done? I believe the reason why God answers our prayer is just to prove He is Lord over all. God is going to answer our prayer with miracles. The question is: Are we going to follow Him? Peter witnessed the power of God when Jesus caused the miraculous catch of fish.
Luke 5:1-11 (NKJV)
So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Peter’s profession was fishing, probably his only means of livelihood. But he decided to give it up for something much better. His provision now is coming from Jesus and not from his former “garment.” Are we willing to let go of our “lifejacket” and simply trust God in prayer for our needs?
Conclusion: The Three Perspectives In Prayer
1) Perception in Prayer - Discernment
Can we discern if God is near? We must ask the Holy Spirit (the Ruach of God) to open our eyes and ears so that we can perceive His presence and power and truly pray to Him in Spirit and in power. Otherwise our prayers will be just plain religious.
2) Persistence in Prayer - Determination
Are we determined to receive the answer to our prayers? We must wait patiently for the Lord. He will answer in His time. Stand on the promises of God’s word. He will never fail nor forsake you. Don’t give up. He is near. Cry out to Him in faith and He will answer and show us great and mighty things we do not know yet (Jeremiah 33:3).
3) Provision in Prayer - Displacement
Are we willing to displace whatever things that we depend on and substitute it with God’s power? We must give up our own strength, abilities, ways and means and trade it with God’s own strength, abilities, ways and means. Let us throw aside our garments of human provision and open our eyes to His endless power to save, heal and provide
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