God’s Terms

exhausted playersLiving in the Spirit
October 24, 2015

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ –Mark 10:46-48

Have mercy on me is the prayer I pray when I do not know what else to pray. Strong’s Concordance of the Bible* expounds on the meaning of mercy as used in this scripture using the example, acting only on [God’s] terms. Mercy used in this sense calls out asking for God to act in accordance with God’s covenant of loyalty. It is the only prayer left when one has no clue what else to do about a situation. It probably should be the first prayer we pray.

I am not suggesting that we should not try to solve our own problems. The key here is to have a relationship with God that is always present, always a part of any action that we take. Paul uses the example of an athlete who stays in top shape ready to run any race at any time. We hear this all the time in descriptions of teams particularly toward the end of the game. Often the commentators will say something like “the defensive players are grabbing their legs and catching their breath. They don’t have much left in them.” The commentators will then often begin to talk about the other team’s outstanding strength and fitness coach.

Jesus is our spiritual strength and fitness coach. His life of prayer and communion with God are woven throughout the gospels. He practiced other spiritual disciples like worship, study, fasting, solitude, and more. We would do well to follow his example.

Prayer: Have mercy on us Lord. In your own good way enable us to live life’s that are pleasing to you. Amen.

*http://biblehub.com/greek/1653.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.