Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. One thing that photography has taught me is to notice things that I would have just passed by in the past - like trees. I always see them now, their leaves, the color, their shape, their surroundings. I noticed them in a special way on a recent trip through the prairies of the Dakotas. The funny thing is that this noticing of things that I used to skip over has carried over into other areas of life, especially my Bible study. Noticing new details requires that you study the cultural context and geography of the passage in a good commentary as well as reading the passage over and over again. When you do dig deep you find a richness and complexity in the details that is beautiful and insightful.
I have read the story of blind Bartimaeus many times but this time when I read it I noticed the phrase, “throwing his cloak aside.” After reading several commentaries I learned that if you lived in Jericho you would rarely ever need a cloak to keep warm. For Bartimaeus his cloak was his identity. It was where he earned his living, for as a blind man his only source of income was from the coins thrown onto his cloak. But when he met Jesus he threw it all aside - his way of life, his identity - for a new identity in Christ. He didn’t go back and get his cloak. He followed Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. What will you throw aside to meet Jesus today? Read and study the story again. What else did you notice? Prayer Father God Teach us how to truly study your word, to dig into the scriptures. Thank you for the scholars who share their knowledge and study through their writings. Give us the insight to notice the small details insights you have for us in scripture. Amen
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Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in. On our recent trip to the Dakotas I I learned that this part of Badlands National Park is called “The Wall.” You can follow it for 60 miles. Which each new view I saw more of its beauty and also its danger. At the beginning of each trail were prominent signs warning the hikers to beware of rattle snakes. It made me think of the story of Joshua facing the walls of Jericho. The people had just entered the promised land and the large walled city stood before them. The instructions God gave Joshua for how to face the walled city were downright strange. Who fights a military battle by only walking around the enemy in silence for a week? Joshua had a choice to trust God or fight the battle in his own military strength. When you read the rest of the story you will see that God did what he promised and the walls fell.
Prayer Lord God When we face walls in our life that seem overwhelming and dangerous, teach us to trust you and walk where you lead. Amen Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. We decided to make one of our road trips an adventure through North and South Dakota. I called it our trip through the wilderness. After traveling through the prairies and badlands of North Dakota I learned to see beauty in these places so very different from my mountains. However I was glad when we headed to the Black Hills of South Dakota. While there were still bare rock spires and pinnacles, there were trees again, beautiful golden aspens and cottonwoods and dark evergreens from whence the Black Hills gets it name.
One of the trails we hiked in Custer State Park was the Cathedral Spires Trails. The name made me think of all the magnificent cathedrals I have seen in my travels both in America and Europe. As we started the trail and looked up around the first corner I understood the name of the trail. The high pinnacles of the rock formations reminded me of all of the great cathedrals I had seen but none of those were as awe-inspiring as this one. Maybe it was because I suddenly remembered that it was a Sunday or that we had traveled through the prairies and badlands for so long, but I trembled and cried at the splendor of these cathedral spires surrounded by golden Aspen trees that only God could make. It was a true moment of worship for me. I was in a holy place made by the great Creator God, the same God who made the wilderness made these Cathedral Spires. I am grateful for the times of splendor and worship I have experienced in both places. Prayer Great Creator God Thank you for all the holy places you have made for us in your world. Open our eyes and hearts to you splendor. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan