I recently borrowed a book from the library that recounted the stories of almost three dozen people who changed their own lives through decisive actions, such as starting businesses, learning new crafts, etc.
Some of these stories were truly inspirational—and they opened my eyes to opportunities and possibilities in life I hadn’t considered before.
And yet, I have to tell you: none of those stories were as helpful to me as the one I read in Mark 10:46-52.
In the story of blind Bartimaeus, we also see decisive action taken. We see a life transformed beyond imagining. But his is not a self-help story. His is a faith story—with takeaways we can all apply. You can read it for yourself in Mark 10:46-52:
“They came to Jericho. As he went out from Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him, that he should be quiet, but he cried out much more, “You son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him.” They called the blind man, saying to him, “Cheer up! Get up. He is calling you!” He, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “Rabboni, that I may see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.”
This passage reminds us: The boldest, most life-transforming action we can take is to choose to live by faith.
This is what blind Bartimaeus did. And he shows us how we can do it, too, in very simple ways, today.
What does living by faith look like?
- Living by faith looks like…praying to the Lord with humble persistence.
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he shouted out, ““Jesus, you son of David, have mercy on me!” and even though people tried to hush him up, he kept on crying out for mercy. This man was both humble and persistent in calling out to the Lord—and I love that combination.
Bartimaeus was humble because he knew who Jesus was—the Messiah, “Son of David”—and because he also knew who he himself was—a man in need of mercy he did not deserve. He didn’t call out to Jesus with expectations and demands. He called out to Him with a beggar’s plea.
Yet Bartimaeus was also boldly persistent because, despite the hopelessness of his situation and the people who tried to keep him quiet, he believed Jesus had the help he needed. No doubt He had heard the stories of Jesus’ miraculous healings in the past. And He believed Jesus could do it again. He believed that Jesus was the help he needed—and that gave him persistence.
Just like Bartimaeus, we may be in chronically difficult situations. We may feel like we’ve been begging for change for years to no avail. Doubts, past disappointments and the words of others may all try to dissuade us from praying just one more time.
And yet, think about what Bartimaeus might have missed out on if he’d let those people stop him from crying out to Jesus. Think about what we might miss out on, if we let our doubts, past disappointments and other obstacles stop us from praying.
The reality of who our Savior is and what He can do for broken people like us ought to infuse our prayer lives with new humility and new persistence.
In our suffering, Jesus is close enough to hear every word we pray.
- Living by faith also looks like…answering the Lord’s call with absolute surrender.
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was calling for him, Mark says that “he, casting away his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” (verse 50)
Consider the reckless abandon it would take for a beggar to cast aside one of his only possessions…or for a blind man to plunge into a crowd seeking Someone he couldn’t see.
Bartimaeus responded to Jesus’ call—not with half-hearted timidity, but with all-in surrender. And this can only be the result of faith. Bartimaeus trusted and wanted Jesus so much that he wouldn’t let anything keep him from obeying the Lord’s call—not the things he had, and not the vision he lacked.
It makes me wonder if we respond with the same urgency and abandon when we sense that Jesus is calling us to do something, today. The truth is, sometimes we are holding on so tightly to what we want Jesus to do for us, that we aren’t open to what Jesus wants us to do for Him.
And here again, Bartimaeus is a beautiful example for us. When Jesus asked him, a verse later, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus responded, “Rabboni, that I may see again.”
Bartimaeus laid out his request plainly before Jesus. He told Him what he wanted. But he prefaced his request by calling Jesus, “Rabboni,” which in the original language meant “my master.”[1]
Bartimaeus asked, but at the same time he surrendered himself to Jesus’ authority to decide.
Living by faith involves this kind of trust and surrender. It involves abandoning ourselves to the Lord’s call and authority, which can feel scary in the moment, but is always worth it in the end.
Where does living by faith lead?
In verse 52, we read the end of this story about Bartimaeus. “Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your faith has made you well.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the way.”
This passage makes two things plain:
- Living by faith opens up possibilities that skepticism and doubt would keep closed to us.
More than once in the gospels, Jesus healed people in response to their faith. And while we know not every story ends the way we’d like it to, we can’t deny the call to faith here. Faith can change things. Faith can open up new possibilities. - Living by faith sometimes changes our circumstances, but it always changes us.
You see, the kind of faith Bartimaeus demonstrates for us is more than just believing for miracles. It’s about believing in Jesus and trusting Him no matter what.
Think about it: If Bartimaeus had just been believing for his healing, he would have gone on his merry way after getting what he wanted. But that’s not what happened. In response to being healed, Bartimaeus immediately set off to gratefully follow Jesus. He set out on a whole new life that pursued the Lord and not just His blessings. Faith in Jesus changed the entire trajectory of his life. It changed him.
You know, as we navigate this complicated world, we all want to know what we can do to change our lives for the better. This is why we read the stories and advice of those who have gone before us.
And while the testimony found in Bartimaeus’ life may not be enticingly new or glamorous, it has been proven, over and over again: The boldest, most life-transforming action we can take is to choose to live by faith.
[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/4462.htm
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my 2025 reading plan: “A Year in the Gospels” To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along! You can also learn more about my Scripture over Screentime experiment here.
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2025 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
