Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. - Mark 10:46-52.

In order to refocus our lives and put first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), it is very likely that we will have to do something before we can do that. What is it that we will have to do? We have to get out of the rut we’ve been living in.

While I was driving a school bus after a heavy rain, taking kids home on the red clay roads where I grew up I slid off into a ditch. You might think that would have stopped me...well, the bus was leaning a little (okay, quite a bit!), but the surprising thing was I could still move forward, I just couldn’t get out of that ditch. Finally, after I had driven about a half a mile I reached a point where I was able to get the bus out of the ditch and back up on the road. I could have just stayed in the ditch, but I kept trying the whole way to turn the bus until it did eventually happen. What a relief!

I recently talked to one of the guys (student then) who was on the bus when we were stuck in the ditch. Guess what? He still remembered it. Thinking about this...it would probably be kind of hard to forget!

Life has a tendency to get us into a rut (or a ditch), and we think that this is the way it will always be and there is nothing we can do to change it. Because it does not appear that we can get out we don’t even try to get out. We just give up and think that this is the way it was meant to be. Certainly, Bartimaeus should have felt that way about his blindness. How could something like being blind ever be changed? It was unheard of!

Bartimaeus did exactly what was needed to get out of his rut of blindness. He sought the One who had the power to do something about His situation. Only God could change him, could heal him, and Bartimaeus knew it. Bartimaeus reached out, even when those around him were telling him that it was hopeless; that it was impossible, that he should not even try. Bartimaeus cried out for Jesus to help him anyway, and his entire life was changed forever.

It may be that you are in the same old rut you have been in for most of your life. You do not want to be there, but you’ve stopped trying to get out because it appears impossible. But have you ever really spent the time in prayer to know whether your rut is the will of God? Have you ever fasted and prayed for a week or so asking God what His will is and if it is His will to get you out of your rut? Isn’t it time to do so? Remember Matthew 7:7-8 is still in the Bible and if we do not ask we will not receive. If we do not seek, we will never find, and if we don’t knock, the door will never open.

Get out of the rut! Ask for help from the One who can do something about it.