Sometimes stories from the Bible become so familiar that I end up reading them the same and don’t expect to see anything new. I guess that can carry over to so many areas in our lives too. It’s something to guard against that is for sure.

Yesterday morning was like any other morning. I was headed somewhere specific in my Bible and ended up stopping in the book of Mark. My eyes fell on the verses in chapter 10 where blind Bartimaeus receives his sight. I began reading, but the story became new to me. The first thing that stood out was the boldness in this mans desperation. I’m not sure how long Bartimaeus had been blind, but he knew for certain who Jesus was and the power he had. He begged, “Jesus, of David, have mercy on me”! The people around him tried to get him to be quiet, but “”he cried out all the more”! Jesus heard him. Bartimaeus could not see the moment Jesus stopped and asked someone to call him over. However, when he heard the news, he threw his cloak off, jumped up and went to Jesus. He didn’t hesitate, even though he could not see. Jesus asks him a simple question, “What do you want me to do for you?”. This stopped me again. What if Jesus was physically walking by me, stopped and asked me the same question? How would I respond? How would you respond? I could not get my journal and pen out fast enough! The responses flew out of my heart! It was different than my normal prayer requests. I felt like my spiritual eyes had been opened up just a bit more by the time I was finished writing. This mans boldness, lack of hesitation, faith, need for mercy and the fact that he would not be silenced, amazed me. May this be true of me too after reading this anew.

After our day was winding down and we sat around our table, I told my family about my morning time. We began to share what we would ask Jesus if we were given the chance like Bartimaeus. I loved hearing the kids answers! One said they would ask for boldness. One said they would want to be incredibly fast. One would ask for amazing baking skills. And another said they would ask to fight battles. The answers continued and I caught a glimpse into their hearts.

The truth is, we don’t have to sit and wait to talk to Jesus. We are free to talk with him anytime we want. We can ask anything, trusting him to be faithful and good. This mans life was forever changed by what he asked of Jesus. Yours could be too…