STEP #1: LECTIO / READMark 10:46-52 As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEHas there ever been something you wanted really bad? I mean REALLY BAD! You would do almost anything for it! That was Bartimaeus in this Gospel passage. He was a known blind man and beggar of the area where Jesus was traveling and teaching. Bartimaeus had heard about Jesus, who he was and the works he had done, and wanted not hing more than the ability to see. Bartimaeus knew, without a doubt, that Jesus could heal him. So when he heard Jesus was passing by he cried out to Jesus with his deepest desire on his heart. Even though the crowds tried to keep him quiet, Bartimaeus would not be silent in his pursuit for Jesus’s healing. There is SO much I can relate to and learn from Bartimaeus. For starters, there are many times I feel blind in my life; not physically, but blind to what is coming up in my life. I graduated in May and am preparing to enter the “real world” of being an adult, which brings up so much unknown. Things are starting to fall into place, but there has been several times when I think I have everything together, and then a curveball comes and I am left feeling as blind as ever. It’s in those times when I am left uncertain about my future or feel blind to what is going on around me, I cry out to Jesus for help. This is where I can learn a lot from Bartimaeus: he was persistent in calling out to Jesus and knew what he wanted. There are times when I don’t know what to do and I cry out to Jesus, but then don’t really know what I want. Then there are times when I know what I want in my deepest heart, but then shy away from actually asking Jesus for that blessing, healing, grace, etc. I want to strive to have the boldness and confidence of Bartimaeus when asking Jesus for something. I need to work on being persistent in prayer, especially when people tell me to keep quiet or that it is useless to call out to Jesus for help in that situation. Jesus wants the best for you, nothing less. He wants to fulfill the desires of your heart, and we need to be confident that he has the power to do just that. But here is where we have to check ourselves: is what I am asking really best for me? If it is, what if God doesn’t answer in the way I expect? When we pray and boldly ask Jesus what is on our hearts, we need to be confident that he has the power to answer our prayers. The hard part comes in having that confidence even if the answer is not what we expected or hoped for. Most of the time we won’t get an immediate answer like Bartimaeus did, but we can learn a lot from his boldness and confidence in Jesus. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAY“Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” In what ways do I cray out to God for help? How can I be more persistent in asking God for help? When I cry out to God for help, how will I answer the question: what do you want me to do for you? How can I grow in confidence that God hears my prayers even if he does not answer them in the way I expected? STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." "What do you want me to do for you?" "Go your way; your faith has saved you." "I will still have faith in God even if _______." FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Boldly go into prayer and tell God your deepest desires and longings. Be confident that He hears you, loves you, and will do what is best for you. SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN  Today's prayer was prepared by Kayla Essner.
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