Be BOLD when you pray. Do not be afraid to ask God for help for your needs, your cares, and your concerns.
Joel Boyers did not realize that he was being bold when he prayed this past summer for meaning in his life. I imagine that he was much like many of us, tired of the pandemic, feeling rather stuck. He was ready to do something meaningful, something that would make a difference.
It wasn’t long before he was given a chance. Boyers, a helicopter pilot and co- owner of a small aviation business in Nashville, had just finished helping Melody Among, his fiancé, earn her pilot’s license. They were flying home to celebrate when he got a call from a woman in Pennsylvania. Her brother’s home in Waverly, Tennessee was underwater from a flood and he and his daughters were trapped on the roof of their house. Could Boyers help?
Be BOLD when you pray. But then be ready because Jesus listens to your prayers.
Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, was pretty bold. He shouted: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” And when the crowd tried to hush him up, sternly ordering him to be quiet, he called out even louder than before, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He knew what he needed, and he wasn’t afraid to ask for it.
Bartimaeus’ boldness paid off because Jesus not only heard him but asks the very people who had been trying to keep Bartimaeus quiet to, “Call him here.”
Again, Bartimaeus responded boldly – springing up – abandoning his cloak which was probably his only possession -- his garment and shelter and what he used to gather the few coins that people dropped in his lap. He just threw it off – with the faith that he would no longer need a beggar’s cloak when he had eyes to see.
Jesus healed him with the words: “Go; your faith has made you well.”
How did Bartimaeus – a blind beggar – have such faith that Jesus commended him? We don’t know. After, all, faith is a gift. But I wonder… if Bartimaeus, sitting by the side of the road day after day, had had a lot of time to pray. And I also wonder if he had become a really good listener.
After all, Jesus has told his disciples three times that he is headed to Jerusalem where he will be betrayed, suffer, and die before he rises again in three days. And yet… the disciples never seemed to quite understand. But Blind Bartimaeus sees – that is knows - that as surely as he is Bartimaeus the son of Timeaus, Jesus is the “Son of Man.”
Knowing who he is – and knowing who Jesus is - Bartimaeus boldly asks for what he wants and then follows Jesus on the way.
What about you? What about me? Do we pray boldly for what we need? Do you trust in Jesus to give you what you need – even if you do not receive what you want? Do we have the courage to follow where Jesus leads?
If I’m honest I have to say, “Sometimes.” Sometimes I pray boldly and passionately. Other times… I could be a bit bolder, a bit more persistent in my prayers and I could trust Jesus a whole lot more. But even when I’m not as bold as I wish, I do know this: Jesus knows who I am. And Jesus knows who you are. You are a beloved Child of God. And Jesus hears your prayers.
When he first received the distress call from the woman to rescue her brother and his family, Boyers didn’t think about his prayer for doing something meaningful was being answered. But he did wonder: “‘How would I feel if I told her I’m not even going to try?’” And then he said, “She just so happened to call the right person, because I’m the only person crazy enough to even try to do that.”
And so, even though the weather was rough and there were high voltage power lines along the way and the internet was down, and he knew that he could get in trouble if he interfered with the work of the police and fire rescue crews, Boyers and his fiancé flew on anyway.
When he got to the overflowing river in the town of Waverly, Boyers said, “it was nothing but tan raging water below me…There were two houses that were on fire. There were cars in trees. … [and] tons of debris… I knew no one was going to be able to swim in that.”
There were a few people in boats trying to rescue stranded people. But the rescue crews had not been able to get there because of the bad weather. And so… even though Boyers knew he wasn’t really authorized to do this, he started flying up and down the flooded creek, picking up anyone he could. Sometimes he had to maneuver around power lines and balance his skids on sloped rooftops and hover over the floodwaters.
When they were done, he heard from the woman who originally called him. Her family was safe, and he realized his prayer – to do something meaningful – was answered that day.
There were a lot of bold prayers answered that day. And there was heartache too. Praying boldly does not guarantee that you will get the answer that you want. But it does mean that you will have the assurance that Jesus is with you – regardless of what happens. For Jesus walks with us on the way, hearing our prayers, healing our wounds, and making us whole.
So, brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, be bold in asking God for what you need. And then listen and be ready to follow Jesus’ on the way – because he is already here. Thanks be to God, Amen.
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church October 10, 2021 Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane