Big Idea - In this story, blind Bartimaeus cries in great desperation for Jesus to show him mercy. His cry is both urgent and persistent. It pays off, for Jesus does show him mercy by restoring his sight. Can we expect to encounter the same mercy when we ask God for help? Hebrews 4:16 makes an incredible promise that echoes the experience of Bartimaeus, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Does this describe our prayer life? Is our prayer life an urgent or even desperate cry to God for mercy? Or is it more of a mundane exercise, a duty we know we are supposed to perform? The key to understanding this passage, and to transforming our prayer life is to understand the concept of mercy. What is mercy, and how can we find mercy to help in our time of need?

First, we need to understand what mercy is and, more importantly, why we need it so desperately. Mercy has to do with having pity for a person in difficult circumstances to the extent that we are moved to help them. The person is in a situation or circumstances beyond their power to resolve. Without the help of someone more powerful, they are hopelessly stuck. But, the one showing mercy is under no obligation to help them. It is an act of kindness that is underserved and without obligation. Romans 9:16 makes it clear that when God shows us mercy, it is not contingent on “human will or exertion.” So, the cry for mercy is the cry of one who cannot fix himself and urgently needs the help of someone else. The blind man, unlike the rich man, did not ask, "What must I do to recover my sight!" Our problem is that we seldom feel that we desperately need help! The reason is that we think our greatest problems are related to our circumstances. We are pretty confident we can change our circumstances if we just work at it hard enough. But Jesus shows the rich man that his real problem is his own heart. He does not need to change his circumstances. He needs to change himself! He walks away sad and depressed because that is impossible. The first step in having a powerful prayer life is when we recognize that our greatest need is not to change our situation but to change ourselves, which we are powerless to do on our own. Our only hope, like blind Bartimaeus, is if someone shows us mercy.

But who will show us mercy and give us the help we need? The second vital truth we must understand to find mercy is to know where to look for it. Jesus is the only one who can give us the mercy we need. The throne of grace, where Jesus sits, is the only place to find mercy to help in our time of need. That is because Jesus is the Messiah, sent from God, with the very heart and nature of God. Blind Bartimaeus saw better than most who Jesus really was! He also understood better than most what that meant based on all that the Old Testament promised the Messiah would do. It is the very heart and nature of God to be merciful. Jesus came to bring that mercy in a powerful way. He is more than able to give us the help we need, even to the extent of changing us into very different people! He has the unlimited power of God. But Jesus also has the unlimited mercy of God, and He stops and helps those who genuinely cry out for help! The crowd reminds us, that this is not normal. The way the world works, and all other religions, is that help comes by merit. Some people deserve it, but most do not. Why would Jesus want to help you? But, Jesus is radically different, helping those who are the least deserving because His help is based on mercy, the loving character of God, not on our effort.

Since mercy is a gift of grace, does that mean God will automatically help us when we need it? It doesn't work that way. Jesus is waiting and longing to help us, but He is not a machine. He is a living and personal God who is all about relationships. He wants us to know Him and to trust Him. So, we must go to the throne of grace and meet Him there with our requests. We need to ask. And we must have faith that He cares and will give us the help we need. Our cry for help is an acknowledgment of our great need, that we cannot fix it on our own, and it is an act of faith that we trust Him to give us what we so urgently need. Bartimaeus demonstrates great faith by leaving behind his old life and his own works and trusting in Jesus alone.

We need God's mercy not only for salvation, like the rich man, but also for ongoing transformation, like the disciples. We need to see that our greatest need is not to change our circumstances but for the inward change of our hearts, life, and character. The more we see this as our great need and the more we see that Jesus has the power to change us, the more we will cry out with great urgency for His mercy to change us. Prayer doesn't always work the way we think it will. The rich man did not get the guarantee of eternal life he was asking for. James and John did not get what they were asking for. But Jesus did not ignore their requests. In fact, He gave them something much greater than what they were asking for. He gave them the opportunity to live a very different kind of life, one free from the bondage from which they were presently living. True faith is trusting God with the answer rather than demanding that He do what we want. We are encouraged repeatedly in Scripture to give thanks in every situation. This is the mark of genuine faith because it is the realization that God, in His great wisdom, knows what is best, and in His wisdom, He will give us abundant mercy and help according to His wisdom and plan, not ours!