Mensa Otabil - Keep Pushing
- Watch
- Donate
Everything we want to achieve in life requires effort, and effort always faces resistance. So when you make an effort to move forward, there will be something trying to push you to either stay where you are or go backward. That is why, when we pursue anything in life, we have to be ready to push through resistance and go beyond it.
Mark 10:48 says, «Then many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me! '» What is this about? It is the story of a blind man named Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was a blind man along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, where he had a spot to beg. One day, he heard that Jesus was passing by. From the rumors he had heard about Jesus, he knew that Jesus could perform miracles. Some blind people had received their sight, some crippled people had walked, and other miracles had occurred.
So when Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was coming by, he decided that if He was passing by this spot, he was not going to be silent. He was not going to sit quietly for Jesus to walk by. Even before Jesus got to where Bartimaeus was, he started crying out, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» He cried it over and over again as Jesus passed him by. While he was still crying, people told him to be quiet. The passage states that many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!»
Jesus heard him, turned back, and said, «Bring the man to me.» Bartimaeus eventually received the miracle he was praying for. This is what we call active faith. Active faith is not just believing that God will do it but also working and taking steps to receive what God says you will receive. Bartimaeus was not passive about his situation; he believed Jesus could heal him, and he believed Jesus was the Son of God. So he called on Him.
But watch what happened: People were trying to push him back. They were trying to resist him; they were telling him to keep quiet, saying Jesus was not interested in him. However, active faith does not take no for an answer. Many people believe that God will work a miracle for them, but only a few are willing to pursue and work towards that miracle. When I say work towards that miracle, I mean that you will pray, believe God, and hold high your faith. For Bartimaeus, there were many times he cried without receiving any response.
Sometimes that happens to us when we pray and don’t get a response. We pray, «Oh Jesus, help me!» and nothing happens. We pray, «Jesus, help me!» and still nothing occurs. Then we give up, saying, «Well, I don’t think this thing works.» But Bartimaeus didn’t say that; he kept crying out, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» Jesus was walking by and did not immediately respond, but Bartimaeus kept crying until, even when it seemed like Jesus was far away, he called out to Him. If you believe that God is a prayer-answering God and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, seek the Lord diligently, trust Him, and pray without ceasing.
Trust that even if you do not get a response today, tomorrow you will receive one. And if you don’t get a response tomorrow, then the next day you will. But you must be like Bartimaeus; you must cry out until you receive your miracle. This applies to everything we want to achieve in life. Sometimes it’s not about praying to God; it’s about pursuing a dream, about pursuing hope. Sometimes you try, and then you fail. You try again, and it doesn’t work. You try to put your life together, but things unravel. Over time, people give up, saying, " I don’t think this will work.» But that is not what faith does. We believe until the end; we persist until the end.
So don’t sit quietly, don’t abandon your hope, don’t abandon your dreams. Don’t just shut down because everyone says to shut down or keep quiet. Stand firm in the Lord; trust Him. This year, the Lord will bless you. The Lord will give you something positive; the Lord will turn your life around, and your miracle is coming to you. You will be the person that God says you will be, so don’t keep quiet. Keep trusting God; keep talking to the Lord. Your breakthrough is coming.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, help me not to give up on myself. I refuse to sit and let life pass me by. In Jesus' name, amen, amen, and amen.»