Day One - The Blueprint for Breakthrough

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Mark 10:46-52 NIV

Every follower of Jesus knows that prayer is essential. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, prayer is one of those things that most know they could do a bit better in or spend more time doing. I think we have all said at one point or another something along the lines of, “I know I need to pray more,” or “I wish I could pray better.” Let me try to help you with that.

Let me take you to one of my favorite stories in all of Scripture. In Mark 10, we find the story of Bartimaeus, the blind man on the side of the road who cried out for Jesus and was healed by Jesus. Bartimaeus gives us a picture of what I want to call breakthrough prayer. And, if you’ve ever wondered how to pray in a way that actually moves heaven and shakes earth—this man is our blueprint. The good news is that Bartimaeus wasn’t a preacher. He wasn’t a pastor. He wasn't a prophet. He was simply a man who was desperate for a touch of Jesus……who prayed a powerful prayer.

I believe breakthrough prayer has three key ingredients. Bartimaeus shows us all three:

1. His prayer was persistent

2. His prayer was specific

3. His prayer was full of faith

We’re going to unpack each of these over the next few days, but today I just want to set the tone. Breakthrough prayer isn’t about praying louder or longer. It's not about praying big fancy words or sounding super spiritual. It's not about praying a specific format or order. Breakthrough Prayer beings with believing that Jesus hears you and praying like you actually believe that He is the only one who can turn your situation around. And here’s the good news...just as Jesus stopped when Bartimaeus cried out for Him all those years ago, Jesus is still stopping for people who cry out to Him today.

Let me ask you something: If Jesus walked into your room right now, looked you in the eyes and asked you the same thing He asked Bartimaeus “What do you want Me to do for you?” what would you say?

Let us pray...

Let's begin this journey with saying it, writing it down, & praying it out loud. Isn't it amazing that we serve a God who actually wants to know what we want? There’s a chance that there will be breakthrough on the other side of that prayer!

“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’" Mark 10:49 (NIV)

Ready for day two? Click HERE!

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This devotional was inspired by a portion of a message I preached called "Fix It, Jesus." Check out the full message here!