Forget your Fears...You Matter!

Forget your fears, look to God, and BE RADIANT!

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!" Jesus stood still and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart; get up, he is calling you." So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

We don't know much of Bartimaeus' life story, a man we find sitting on the side of the road. We’re told he’s blind, something we often think of as a disability. But what others see as a shortcoming becomes his motivation to cry out for Jesus. He pushes his fears aside, paying no mind to the voices that try to silence him. Instead, he cries all the more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” because he believes in Jesus' powerful hand.

This is a man who is no stranger to suffering, and even though people tell him otherwise, he knows his voice will matter to Jesus. He's right. The courage it takes to fight the fears of being insignificant pays off, and Bartimaeus becomes radiant with healing light.

An interesting thing happened this week, as I read the lectionary texts together. It seemed to be possible, that Psalm 34, even though it was written centuries before Bartimaeus was born, might be expressing the very emotions Bartimaeus experienced on that day of healing. Listen in:

Psalm 34:1-8

I will bless God at all times; God's praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in God; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify God with me, and let us exalt God's name together. I sought God, and God answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to God, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. This poor soul cried, and was heard by God, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of God encamps around those who fear God; God's angel delivers them. O taste and see that God is good; happy are those who take refuge in God.

As a minister, accompanying people on roads of grief, uncertainty, frustration, and many types of suffering sometimes gets to me. And the words of praise spoken in this Psalm seem to ring hollow at first, as if they're not taking the pain of the world seriously enough. And my own prayers, alongside those I care for who are hurting, often feel like not enough.

And then I remember that the people who wrote the Psalms also knew pain. Deep pain. In fact, it could be their quest for meaning in the midst of sorrow brought them to write these very words: I will bless God at all times.  This Psalm, ancient as it is, continues to inspire our worship as people who follow Bartimaeus' God, our God. The God we believe in and bless, even in our suffering.

“Look to him and be radiant! O taste and see that the Lord is good.”  King David is likely the author of these words, written during one of the most challenging periods of his reign. "O magnify God with me, and let us exalt God's name together!" David, like Bartimaeus, forgets his fears, looks to God, and radiates the kind of faith that changes the world.

What's keeping us from proclaiming God’s goodness in our lives? Are we afraid to say the wrong thing? Do we wonder if it'll make any difference? Are we wondering what others might think? Are we afraid that celebrating the good in our lives might offend those who are worse off? Do we worry that no matter what we say, it will never be enough?

Bartimaeus' story would never have made our scriptures had he simply waved at Jesus as he passed by. David's psalms would never have been published had he stayed a shepherd boy. Both of them conquered their fears in faith that what they had to offer the world mattered. And we would never have received their testimonies of God's goodness had they lived within the confines of their personal fears.

So I wonder today- what stories of God's goodness are hiding behind our fears?

I write poetry, and I don't often share it with others (really only if my mom asks me to). The truth is, I often fear it's not good enough. That its meaning will crumble the moment I speak it aloud. I fear the responses I receive, or the lack of any at all. And still, God places these words in my heart. I wondered this week if maybe I need to forget my fears, look to God, and let the warmth of God's love radiant through my words. So here it goes, I'll share something I wrote this week inspired by the trees and river of God's creation.

You Matter

Billions of fluttering leaves,

Each making more beautiful

The spectacle

of the trees.

When one falls into water,

I imagine its smile,

as it bobs to the rhythm

of its space.

One leaf among billions,

celebrating life given

in mercy and grace.

And if Creator Love

Can give meaning to

one golden leaf,

Ponder how much more 

you are worth

...and ever will be.

When you wonder if you

matter, if you question

your way,

look to the trees.

watch them sway.

And like the shimmering leaf 

who smiles as she falls,

Never let fear stand in

your way.

Simply radiate the joy

of God's day.

 

What story of God's goodness is waiting for your fear to fall away? "O taste and see that God is good; happy are those who take refuge in God."