You will seek me and find me if you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

Today, I want us to take a closer look at the story of Bartimaeus. A blind beggar who sought Jesus with everything he could until he found him.

So it came to pass, when Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jericho, a blind beggar by the name Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “son of David, have pity on me.”

Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

Although blind, his eyes were set on Jesus.

So Jesus heard his cry, and called Bartimaeus over. “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!” Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.

The story of Bartimaeus is one of perseverance, defiance and persistence. This is a man who was clearly handicapped and had the odds against him, he was told many times by the crowd to be quiet, and yet he “yelled” his way through until he had his break.

Our verse for today is a call for us to be persistent in our quest to seek God. We cannot lackadaisically seek God only when we attend church on Sundays, or when we open the Bible once a week. We cannot expect to see God when we give up at the slightest provocation or opposition. To find God, we must look past everything we are going through and set our focus on Jesus, just as Bartimaeus did.

Another thing we can learn from Bartimaues is his reaction to the healing, the Bible clearly states that on his healing he followed Jesus. He is said to have been one of the followers of Jesus who accompanied Him to Jerusalem and remained at His side till his death. Sticking with Jesus after we get our breakthrough is as important as seeking Him for the breakthrough. It is my prayer that we will remain faithful to Jesus after He comes through for us. Amen. 

Jeremiah 29:13
Luke 18:35-43