Make Some Noise

“He shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”  Mark 10:48

Am I the only one who can’t scream in dreams?  More often than not, when I’m having a nightmare about some horrible happening, my mouth just won’t make noise. Though I try with all my might to alert others to the horror, no one seems to hear.

I wonder if Bartimaeus felt the same way as day after day, year after year, he sat by the road blind and begging.  Unable to hold a job or have a family, Bartimaeus was dependent on the pity of those who passed by.  Many traveled that path, for his keen ears heard their hurried footsteps, and his outstretched hands waited in hopes of a spare coin.  

Then suddenly, somehow, on a day as dark to him as the many before, the commotion increased.  Sounds began to swell, and he could sense excitement in the air.  “What’s going on?” he asked.  “What’s happening?”  “It’s Jesus!” someone said.  “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by!”  

As soon as he heard those words, Bartimaeus began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”(Mk 10:47).  Over and over, the phrase poured out of his mouth, a swelling surge of desperation and desire.  Those crowded around, craning to catch a glimpse of the famous teacher, called for him to calm down.  “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet”(Mk 10:48), but their indignation only increased his intensity. “He shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’”(Mk 10:48). Bartimaeus’ only hope of ever having sight was near enough to hear his howls, and he wasn’t going down without a fight.

Then suddenly, somehow, his desperate cry reached divine ears, and “Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him’”(Mk 10:49).   Those nearby shared the good news, “Cheer up!  On your feet!  He’s calling you”(Mk 10:49), and Bartimaeus couldn’t scramble to stand fast enough.  “Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus”(Mk 10:50).  Before Bartimaeus could speak, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”(Mk 10:51), and without hesitation Bartimeaus answered, “Rabbi, I want to see”(Mk 10:51).  

Then suddenly, somehow, the most delightful words he had ever heard reached his ears—“Your faith has healed you,” and the most beautiful sight he could ever see was before his brand-new eyes—Jesus.  “Immediately Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus along the road(Mk 10:52).  

What if he had let fear keep him quiet?  What if he had let shame shut him up?  Bartimaeus would have spent the rest of his days in despair when the help he needed and, more importantly, the Helper he needed were in within earshot.  

Sometimes our despair drives us to stay silent, but don’t. No matter how you got where you are, never be too ashamed to shout and never be too afraid to ask.  Even when you think no one is listening, God hears your cries and He will help. 

God always already knows what we need, but when we make some noise, suddenly, somehow, the wonderful words, “Cheer up!  On your feet!  Jesus is calling you!” will come our way and change our day—and a whole lot more if we will open our mouths.

Top Spot

“If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last, and the servant of all.”  Mark 9:35

School yearbooks should arrive soon, and pages announcing the Senior Superlatives are sure to be looked at first.  Filled with words ending in the suffix “est” or starting with the adverb “most,” these honors go to students who are the funniest, prettiest, smartest, craziest, best dressed, most talented, most successful, and most gullible.  Except for kids in the last category, the winners will be excited to have been chosen by their peers as the greatest of the group.  

Their delight is a natural reaction for deep in us all is the desire to be best—but being “our” best and being “the” best are two very different things, and focusing on the latter instead of the former causes lots of trouble.

The disciples learned the difference one day after a trip back to Capernaum.  Lots of yawing and jawing had gone on during the journey, and “when he was in the house, Jesus asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’”(Mk 9:33).  No one said a word, for no one wished for Him to know they had been fussing about who was first. Jesus didn’t need to ask for the answer, but instead of a lecture, He gave a lesson. “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last, and the servant of all,” he instructed, and then to give His point a picture, “he took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in his arms, Jesus said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little ones in my name welcomes me’”(Mk 9:35-37).

In other words, if you want to be big, get small.  If you want to be great, get busy—serving, not the ones who can pay you back and puff you up but the ones who are insignificant, unrecognized, and in need.  Children in those days had few rights and no resources, so they were unable to repay the people who cared about them and for them with anything but affection and gratitude.  In the same way, Jesus said and showed His disciples (and us) that when our focus is on pouring our lives into others because of who God is and what they need and not for our own acclamation, we are doing something wise and wonderful.  

Only God deserves top spot.  There’s not even a close second, so instead of trying to inflate our own paltry egos, let’s use our use our gifts, talents, opportunities, and abilities to show His excellent and authentic greatness.  As we focus on Him, we find ourselves not caring about being first.

The best way we can move up is to lift Jesus up. 

The Focus of Faith

“Everything is possible for him who believes.”  Mark 9:23  

Let’s be honest.  God doesn’t always do what we want, and we often wonder why.  If we’re even more honest, we’ll admit that we sometimes struggle to determine if the divine inaction was due to God’s perfect, providential plan or our own lack of faith.  The question is legitimate, but please don’t be misled.

There are those who preach and teach that if you only believe, you will receive whatever it is you’re hoping for.  The bigger bank account, the better car, the right relationship, the miraculous healing, physical safety, emotional security, and financial prosperity will all be yours when your faith is finally big enough to believe that these things belong to you.  This philosophy, sometimes dubbed “Name It & Claim It,” is a misnomer.  It’s not true because it places faith in the wrong place.  The phrase, “I’m believing God for __________” is often used to describe the desire for favor or blessing, but more emphasis and importance seems to be placed on the gift rather than the Giver.  To keep this from happening, we need to make sure that before we fill in the blank, we fully understand the first few words—“I’m believing God.”  Only when we grasp what faith in our Father looks like can we trust Him more deeply and tell others more accurately about our precious God and His gracious gifts.

These thoughts swirl in my head today because of two funerals last week, friends who are struggling with cancer this week, and some seriously dangerous situations that friends of mine are facing as we speak.  Why didn’t God spare the ones whose bodies lie in the cemetery?  Why doesn’t God heal the ones who daily deal with the hurt and havoc of chemotherapy?  And can I be certain that missionaries who are being hunted like prey in closed countries will not be arrested, tortured, or executed?  Did the families of the deceased simply not have enough faith to deter death?  Do the ones who love the ailing not believe big enough to claim their healing?  And if those who care about the perilous plights of God’s people in other places say they will be safe, will they?  The answer to each question above is either, “Because God is God,” or “No.”  And to believe both answers we must have faith—faith not in the WHAT but in the WHO. 

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Heb 11:1), but this faith so highly commended and heavily rewarded is not confidence in an action but in the Almighty.  It is absolute trust in God Himself, not in blessings He might bestow which make us happy or keep us healthy.  It is faith in God—“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”(Rom 4:3).  Nowhere in the Bible are we given blanket confidence that our certainty of something happening will bring it about, but in many places and many ways we are granted absolute, unshakable assurance that God is control, that He is working His will in His way both in heaven above and on earth below, and that our souls and salvation are eternally secure in either place.  Our faith is not in the happenings around us but in a holy God.  

The dad of the demon-possessed boy in the Bible stood before Jesus distressed, dismayed, and discouraged. “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” he pleaded(Mk 9:22).  “If you can?” Jesus responded. “‘If you can?’  Everything is possible for him who believes.”  And suddenly the man realized that what mattered most was not his hope for help but his hope in the One, the only One, who could help.  “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’”(Mk 9:23-24).

His prayer should be ours, for we continually feel the tension between trusting God for who He is and trusting God for what we want Him to do.  We should believe that our God can do anything He wants, and we should believe that God will do everything He wills. The bigger our faith in who God is, the bolder our faith in what He does—even when that “what” isn’t what we wished. 

We can’t always be certain of God’s hand, but we can always be sure of His heart.

Believe God—not just because He does but because He is.