Mark 10:52
“And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
Jesus had just finished a revival meeting in Jericho. Many people followed Him as left the city to go to the next place where He would preach. As He left the city, there was a blind man, by the name of Bartimaeus, who sat outside the city begging for money. This man lived in times when the government didn’t take care of those with special needs, and his only way to make a living was to beg and hope that people had enough compassion to give him the necessary money so that he could get some food to eat.
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing his way, he changed his begging for money to begging for mercy. He cried out to Jesus and said, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” The people thinking this would bother Jesus told Bartimaeus to hold his peace, which resulted in a greater plea and a louder cry that Jesus would have mercy on him. When Jesus heard his cry, He stood still and called for Bartimaeus to be brought to Him. When Jesus asked him what he wanted, he replied that he wanted his sight. Jesus’ response was, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” Immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight. In this story, you learn faith’s attributes. You will never see God work the miraculous in your life until these attributes of faith are evident in your life. Let me show you these four attributes.
First, faith has a willing heart. Bartimaeus was willing to do whatever Jesus commanded him to do. You will never be blessed by God or see Him perform the miraculous in your life until your heart is willing to do whatever God asks you to do. Faith’s call will sometimes seem ridiculous or impossible, but you must have a willing heart to do whatever faith asks you to do.
Second, faith has a listening ear. Bartimaeus was willing to listen to Jesus. Romans 10:17 reminds us that “…faith cometh by hearing…” You must listen to God’s Word if you want the faith to obey God’s command. God’s Word will give you the courage to obey faith’s opportunity. You must spend time daily in God’s Word and listen to the preaching of the Word if you want the strength to step out on faith’s command.
Third, faith has an obedient spirit. Bartimaeus immediately obeyed what Jesus told him to do, and it resulted in his healing. You will never be a person of great faith unless you are a person of complete obedience. Obedience is the kindling that ignites the fires of faith. If you lack faith, it is because you lack obedience.
Fourth, faith has a proper focus. Bartimaeus immediately followed Jesus after he was healed. You will never have the faith to see the miraculous when you are focused on man. The core of faith is following Jesus by faith. If you follow a man, you are living by sight; on the other hand, it takes faith to stay focused on Jesus, the One Who you can only see by faith.
Friend, you will never see God perform the miraculous in your life until you learn to walk and live by faith. What is it that you need God to do in your life today? Whatever your answer is, you will never see it happen until these four attributes are evident in your life. When they are evident, it is then that God can make it happen if it is His will.