Fall is officially beginning to show its beautiful colors. You don’t need faith to see them. Their beauty is God’s gift to all of us.
Other things do require faith. In the Bible there is a story in Mark 10 about a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. He sat on his mat for years hoping for a miracle to restore his vision.
One day Jesus walked down the road with His disciples and as always there were people calling out His name. Bartimaeus too called out the name of Jesus, hoping He would hear him.
Out of all the voices Jesus heard around Him, He heard the voice of the blind beggar who had been neglected and walked past many times over the years. Why did he continue to sit on the road for so long?
He had faith that one day he would be healed. So many had passed by him and saw they couldn’t help his condition, but Jesus heard him and knew Bartimaeus’ life was valuable. He was worth more than how he had been treated by everyone else.
The point of this story is not to show Jesus perform a miracle. The point is that we see how miraculous He is. Just as Bartimaeus isn’t defined by his condition, Jesus is not defined by the miracles He performed.
Jesus allowed Bartimaeus’ eyes to be opened. He was healed physically, but the more important result was after the event. His life was changed forever. His physical change brought about a spiritual change.
So it is with us. Good things and bad things will happen in this life. What happens to you and around you isn’t as important as who are as a person. Have faith He is a miracle-working God even when your prayers for a miracle aren’t answered as you had hoped.
I don’t have the answer as to why God heals some people and not others. I don’t know why some go through so many trials and troubles while walking this earth. All I do know is that God is still God and Christ is still His Son—God who came to earth to live and die for me.
How can you focus more this week on who God is and not what you’re praying for Him to do for you in your current situation? When you focus more on Him, no matter what the outcome will be to what you’re facing, you will know God is still in control and He always has a plan. The end goal we can’t see will be worth the temporary pain that we experience.
