Jesus Is Your HealerNäide

The Delivering Voice of God

The Bible says that God is our deliverer, but what does that mean? God’s voice is powerful, and it’s vital that we come to know His delivering voice. I’m excited for you to read today’s devotional — I believe it will stir up your faith and increase your expectancy for miracles to happen. Today, we will study the story of Bartimaeus and his testament of persevering against negative opinions.

Mark 10:46-48 says, “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. 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!’ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” Blind Bartimaeus couldn’t see Jesus, but he heard Him and cried out. Just hearing Jesus’ voice stirred up faith within Bartimaeus. You can imagine that when Bartimaeus woke up that day, he probably never thought that he would receive his sight miraculously.

But when he heard about Jesus, His voice began to stir up something inside him. So Blind Bartimaeus cried out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The Bible tells us that those around him were telling him to be quiet. You can imagine the kinds of things they were saying because the Bible says they severely warned him. In other words, they were saying, “You have been blind your whole life! Don’t cry out to Jesus! Don’t bother Jesus! Nothing is going to happen to you. Oh, just be quiet!” But the Bible says he cried out to Jesus even more. The insurmountable faith it took for Bartimaeus to continue crying out when everyone around him was trying to silence him touched Jesus’ heart. “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’” (Mark 10:49). I want to emphasize this because many times we listen to the opinions of other people and change what we believe. We give up on our dreams because of someone’s opinion. And just like the onlookers in Mark 10, people’s opinions can change in a minute! If you’re not careful, you can give up on your dreams and desires all because of someone else’s opinion.

You can see how easily the people surrounding Bartimaeus in Mark 10 changed their opinions. One minute they were telling him to leave Jesus alone, and the next they were encouraging him to be of good cheer and rise!

Mark 10:50 says, “And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.” You may think, What’s the big deal about throwing aside his garment? That garment identified him as a beggar and gave him the right to be stationed at the same place every day. It was his meal ticket — his identity. But Bartimaeus’ faith was so strong that he absolutely knew Jesus would heal him. The delivering voice of Jesus did something inside Bartimaeus that caused him to throw his identity aside by faith. He didn’t need his garment anymore because Jesus healed him and gave him a whole new identity! When we hear the voice of Jesus, it’s the Holy Spirit speaking to us. And if we listen, that voice is a delivering voice! That is what happened to Bartimaeus. Verses 51 and 52 say, “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.’ 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.”

Friend, it is a powerful thing when you take a break from your devices, step aside to be alone with the Lord, and say, “God, I want to hear You. What do You want to say to me today?” When you open your Bible, you should get quiet. Why? Because the Lord has something to say to you. I have heard Him confirm in my heart how much He loves me many times. But if I don’t get quiet, I cannot hear the delivering voice of God. His delivering voice is waiting for every one of us, just like it did for Bartimaeus. God’s delivering voice changed his whole life! When you hear His voice, He brings comfort, He brings teaching, He brings help, and He brings understanding. Today, I want you to find a quiet moment and take advantage of the opportunity to hear God’s delivering voice.

Confession:

Friend, I want to return to something I mentioned in the last paragraph. I want to challenge you to take some time away from your devices or distractions, get quiet, and really listen for the delivering voice of God. Open your Bible and say to the Lord, “Lord, I want to hear your voice. What do you want to say to me today?” Listen and wait to hear His mighty voice! Try integrating this into your daily routine.