Open Heaven 24 November
MEMORISE: “I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.” – (Psalm 3:4)
BIBLE READING: Mark 10:46-52
46 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!”
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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.
Read yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
It is sad that many Christians fail to take advantage of the numerous prayer meetings available to them, to get their problems solved. Some come to the Church and are unable to cry to God to solve the challenges that brought them to His presence. Others even doze off at prayer vigils, missing their moments of divine visitation. In today’s Bible reading, we see the beautiful reward of crying to God in prayer. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing through Jericho, he cried out. Though he had no eyes to see Jesus, he made use of his mouth to cry to the Lord, even when the people around were discouraging him from doing so (Mark 10:48).
Many years ago, a woman was attacked by the devil. It was such that she was unable to retain in her system anything she ate. When things became unbearable, she ran to God. She came for one of our services and arrived at a point when the Lord was asking the congregation to shout “Hallelujah”. The woman, in faith, responded to the Lord’s command through His minister and shouted “Hallelujah” with everyone else. God honoured her faith as she shouted; a worm popped out of her mouth and that was the end of her problem.
Sometimes, people who cannot help you may try to discourage you from crying to God for help. It is left for you to either allow them to discourage you or refuse to be shut up. As for me, I will not be shut up. Psalm 5:3 says: My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. While Jesus knew Bartimaeus’ need, He still asked him what he wanted.
This is because Jesus would not break the Scripture in Matthew 7:7 which says “Ask, and it shall be given unto you…” Thank God Bartimaeus asked for his ultimate need to be met – his eyesight, and not for some shekels. His cry was meaningful. There are also meaningless cries – cries without substance. They are the type Jesus describes as “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7). A vain repetition is any form of prayer not in alignment with the will and word of God (James 4:3). Beloved, like Bartimaeus did in Mark 10:51, you must cry to God meaningfully! May the Lord hear your cry today, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT: Make a list of your major needs and spend time crying to God to meet them all in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 18-22
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – Cry Out To The Lord – written by Pastor Enoch A.
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Open Heaven 24 November 2021
