Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! The sun is out and hopefully melting the leftover snow. This morning I studied and made egg dishes and did food prep etc. This afternoon both Al and I have our Wellness Checkups and will take most of the  afternoon as we follow one another with space inbetween.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I wonder if we realize how much we need God’s mercy, not just the time we came to accept the Lord, but often in our everyday lives. Mercy is receiving what we don’t deserve and there are times in our lives that we are so aware of our need that we feel like blind Bartimaeus. He called out loudly to Jesus, as he knew Jesus was passing by and others around him tried to hush him up. But he was persistent and only called out louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38) Jesus heard and asked him what he wanted. The blind man put into words that he wanted to see, to regain his sight.                                                                                                   There may be times in our lives when we feel desperate and we call out to the Lord in our own way. Others may try to hush us or try to tempt us in worldly ways to fill the need that we have; but we can instead be quick to tell the Lord what it is we need, and wait for His answer. Or it could be that we try to silence other people who are loudly crying out for their needs to be met and we ignore them, especially if they have different views and lifestyles.                                                                                                I like the simplicity of Bartimaeus’ prayer as he didn’t give any reasons why Jesus should take notice of him, but pleaded for mercy. God is rich in mercy and we don’t have to fear He will run out.                                                                                                                           Years ago, I read the book, Pilgrim, of a man whose mission was to walk and pray what is known by some as the The Jesus Prayer, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.” For some time after reading the book, I prayed that prayer often throughout my day. I was reminded of that this morning when I read about Bartimaeus that I need to get back to doing that again. It helps me realize in a fresh way how needy I really am and dependent on the Lord. As I pray the prayer it helps me refocus on Him.
Scripture says that Bartimaeus recovered his sight and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”                                                  Let us ask God often for His mercy, recognizing our need.                                                       Challenge for today: Throughout this day, pray The Jesus Prayer often, as you go about your work.