Luke 18:35-43
A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Sure, I could focus on the blind man who was sitting by the roadside begging. After all, he had enough courage and enough faith to cry out to Jesus even when others "told him to be quiet." And the man had the nerve to shout even louder. He was desperate enough to go against the crowd and do whatever he had to for his healing. And Jesus asked him a question, that he certainly already knew the answer to. Jesus told him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Blind Bartimaeus received his sight, even though the crowd was in his way. The people tried to control the blind man's circumstance...his outcome, but he cried out for mercy despite the crowd. The story is clearly about the blind man...and his level of faith.
Then there is that "nugget". Let's shift our focus to the crowd.
After the people saw that the man was healed, "they also praised God." There it is! Even when it's not our own personal miracle, we should praise God for somebody else's miracle, somebody else's breakthrough, somebody else's promotion, somebody else's healing...somebody else's answered prayer!
You never know, your immediate blessing just might be attached to your ability to praise God for somebody else's blessings.
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