makeyourdaycount Volume 11, No. 4 • 2014
CRY OUT for your M I R A C L E this Christmas
BY LINDSAY ROBERTS
If you’re in need of help this holiday season…if someone you love needs Jesus this Christmas…if in your heart, y o u ’ v e b e e n c r y i n g o u t t o G o d ...I w a n t t o e n c o u r a g e y o u through God’s Word and my own testimony that we can always turn to God for miracles.
L
et’s start with the scripture in Mark 10:46–52 that tells of a great miracle:
As Jesus went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. The healing of Bartimaeus is a powerful miracle, and I believe it contains an important lesson that can help us receive answers from God for the needs in our lives. And I believe the key to the healing of Bartimaeus is found in one word—ACTION! In this passage in Mark 10, there are over thirty of what I call “action words” that describe what happened between Bartimaeus, Jesus, and the people around them. So, let’s look at some of these action words to see what was to happen here. It says: he came, he saw, he went, he was healed, he followed, he cried, he shouted, he jumped—all these actions came from a blind man who normally sat begging on the side of the road. W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M
3
Bartimaeus may have been blind in the natural realm, but what spiritual insight he had concerning Jesus! When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he did something about it. You see, he was dissatisfied with something his life, and he wanted a change.
ready for Christmas morning, we heard a thud at the top of the stairs.
Many people have something in their life that they are not satisfied with, something that they want to see change for the better. So, the first question we can ask ourselves is, “Am I dissatisfied with something in my life right now?” If the answer is yes, then we can move on to the next step that Bartimaeus took toward his deliverance.
Instinctively I felt something was wrong with one of my children. Richard and I raced to the top of the stairs, where we found our youngest daughter, Chloe Elisabeth, lying on the f loor. She seemingly stopped breathing! I grabbed her, ran downstairs, and called the doctor. He said, “Look at her lips. Look for swelling and look for the color blue.”
After Bartimaeus realized he was dissatisfied, he made a declaration—the Bible says he cried out to Jesus. When we’re dissatisfied, in my experience, we either cry out in a complaining way, saying things like, “Oh, why me?” Or, we can cry out to God in faith, saying, “In the name of Jesus, I am going to press on in God.” I wrote a book called A Cry for Miracles because that’s what the Lord told me one night when my family and I needed a miracle right away.
And all the signs were that my daughter wasn’t breathing. The doctor said, “Get her to the emergency room. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
On a Christmas Eve some years ago, at close to midnight, a crisis arose that needed God’s intervention. While Richard and I were downstairs trying to get 4
WINTER 2014
Well, Richard jumped in the car and took Chloe to the emergency room. But I couldn’t go with them, because I had two other children at home to take care of. It was midnight on Christmas Eve, and there was no way for all of us to go to the hospital. So I was left at home with my two other children sound asleep, and I had nobody to talk to. I could not be with my baby. I did not know what was happening. It was a terrible experience.
...we either cry out in a complaining way, saying things like, “Oh, why me?” Or, we can cry out to God in faith, saying, “In the name of Jesus, I am going to press on in God.” I went upstairs, sat on the f loor, and began to cry. Then, God spoke in my heart. He said, “It’s okay to cry if you cry for a miracle.” So, I changed my perspective and began expecting that if I cried out in faith for a miracle, that’s what I would receive. I believe when you do that, then that’s what you’ll get—a miracle. I realized that I was crying out of my emotions instead of crying in faith. I was not doing anything productive at that point with my tears. So I switched gears. I began to pray, “Thank You, Father, for a miracle. I praise You, Father God, that my daughter is a miracle. Thank You that she is healed, in Jesus’ name.” When Richard got to the hospital, the ER staff connected Chloe to a breathing machine. She registered at 90 percent, which was a miracle in itself, because when she left the house, her lips were blue and she appeared not to be breathing.
Richard and the ER staff watched as the breathing machine’s numbers went higher and higher, until Chloe sat up, with her breathing at 100 percent. By the time our own doctor walked in, my beautiful baby girl was sitting there, talking away, perfectly whole! Our doctor said, “What happened?” Richard said, “It was a miracle.” Then he called me up and explained what happened. He said, “It was a miracle.” I said, “Praise God!” You see, when we cry out in faith, I believe God hears us and recognizes us and wants us to cry out when we need His help. So, I learned that it is okay to cry if we cry for a miracle. Back in Mark chapter 10, we see that Bartimaeus cried out in faith to Jesus, the Son of David,
“It’s okay to cry if you cry for a miracle.” You can go to www.oralroberts.com/bookstore to order "A Cry for Miracles" by Lindsay Roberts. W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M
5
the One Who is able to heal. Bartimaeus made a declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed One, the One with the ability to meet the need that he was facing. I believe our own declarations are so important, because the Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Bartimaeus said, in essence, that Jesus was the One who could meet his need. We can apply that principle by asking ourselves who we believe Jesus is and what we can see Him doing for us according to His Word. Who is the Lord to us and why? Is there an area in your life that you feel needs divine intervention? First John 3:8 says, For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. I believe when we see who Jesus is and why God sent Him to this earth, then we can begin to speak out, in faith, what we desire according to His Word. We can make His Word our declaration of faith, as Bartimaeus did. Now, after Bartimaeus made his declaration, he had to make a
6
WINTER 2014
decision. I love this part. Think about this: once he made his declaration and cried out to Jesus, what did the people around him do? They told him to be quiet! They rained on his parade! In the story of life, there always seem to be people who make it their business to rain on someone else’s parade. So Bartimaeus had to decide whether he was going to listen to the crowd or do what he believed in his heart that he must do. I believe we always come to a point where we have to make that critical decision. As Bartimaeus was thinking through what he would do, Jesus commanded, “Bring him to me.” And that’s when Bartimaeus had to decide whether to respond to Jesus or instead to respond to the crowd—because they were saying two different things, and he couldn’t do both. He had to choose one or the other. Bartimaeus made the crucial decision to cry out to Jesus, even in the midst of a tough situation. In the midst of those around him telling him to shut up, he chose to
get up in faith and go to Jesus. He determined in his heart to focus on Jesus instead of the circumstances around him. I believe the next action-word is critical. Bartimaeus removed his “beggar’s robe,” which to me was a demonstration of his faith. That beggar’s robe meant he could legally beg. With that robe, he was, in a sense, licensed to depend on other people to take care of him. But the way I see this unfold, he cast off the beggar’s robe in faith, even before he was healed, as a demonstration of his faith in the healing, delivering power of Jesus! That's not operating in presumption, but operating in faith. No matter what our situation may look like and no matter what may be going on around us, we can see from Bartimaeus’s example that we can choose to live by faith. In fact, I believe according to the Word that God shows us to believe His Word by faith before we see things come to pass in the natural (Hebrews 11:1). Whether we have to believe, or expect, or sow seed, or pray—whatever we feel God directing us to do, I believe we have to take action that God directs as an act of our faith, because faith without works—or corresponding action—is dead ( James 2:26). To me, putting action to our faith causes our faith to come alive and produce something supernatural for us. Bartimaeus
acted in faith first, and then Jesus healed him. I believe we have to make a demonstration of our faith first, and when we do, I believe that gives God something to work with as He brings about the answer we are seeking. Of course, God can do whatever He wants, because He’s God. He is sovereign and can act sovereignly anytime He chooses. But the majority of times I have seen things work in my life, it has been by acting on my faith, then seeing God’s response. If I have a need, then I must make a demonstration of my faith, whether it’s through prayer, through my
...putting action to our faith causes our faith to come alive and produce something supernatural for us.
expectations, through my seed sowing, or through some other form of action. It’s when I have acted in faith that I have seen the circumstances in my life change. I believe as we get into an action of faith, then Jesus can get into action. That’s what these Scriptures mean to me. It was then—after Bartimaeus got up in faith—that Jesus said to him, “Your faith has made you well” (verse 52), and he was healed and followed Jesus.
deliverance, provision, peace, joy, and all the other good things described in the Bible. So, I encourage you to trust God, believing in faith for whatever your need may be. And as you honor God however He directs you, I pray in faith with you now for healing, wholeness, soundness, peace, joy, and fulfillment in every area of your life, in Jesus’ name.
Now, let me ask you this: Do you need a breakthrough of some kind in your life? Is there a need in your spirit, your mind, your body, your family, your finances, or some other area of your life? Consider if God is asking you to do something as an act of your faith? As you do, you can choose to believe God when the Word of God tells us we can have God’s best—healing, salvation,
If I have a need, then I must make a demonstration of my faith...
8
WINTER 2014