Don't Stop the Noise

I like to sleep with a sound on my Alexa called Green Noise, and it really does help me go to sleep and stay asleep. When the noise stops, I sometimes wake up and get it going again because it only lasts for an hour. There was always noise around Jesus, as the crowds grew and grew as they came to Him for physical healing. Jesus responded to some of the noise by calming the crowds and teaching them the Word of God from Him, the Word of God. Other ways Jesus responded to the noise were when the religious leaders, who were trying to discredit Him, would challenge His authority, not realizing He was the very Messiah they had taught the people to look for anyway. Their own desire to be right and verify what they had been teaching their people caused them to miss the perfect one and the perfect truth they needed so desperately.

Another time, Jesus responded to some noise on the road to Jericho, as a blind beggar cried out to Jesus, and the people tried to quiet the noise he was making, but he persisted. He believed that Jesus could heal him, so he had great faith in the midst of being called down by the people. Here is what happened in this confrontation Jesus had with the noise that was being made by this beggar. Luke 18: ³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. ³⁶ When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. ³⁸ So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ³⁹ “Be quiet!” the people in front yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ When Jesus heard him, he stopped and ordered that the man be brought to him. As the man came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” he said, “I want to see!” ⁴² And Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus, praising God. And all who saw it praised God, too.

Bear in mind, this man was sitting beside the road, and he could only hear that Jesus was coming, but could not see Him. His eyes were blind, but his voice was apparently strong enough, even though the people were telling Him to quiet the noise he was making. In fact, when they told him to quiet down, the blind beggar began to shout louder, and in verse 40, scripture says "Jesus heard him," and He stopped and ordered that the man be brought to Him. Jesus responded to the man's cries by saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" The man replied, "Lord, I want to see!" Did Jesus ask him to jump through a few hoops or stand a certain way, or recite a certain saying? No. Jesus said, “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”

What happened next? Scripture says the man was INSTANTLY healed, and he could see. Then scripture says the following, and he followed Jesus, praising God. What noise is Jesus hearing from us? Are we praying prayers of faith that cause Him to hear us, believing in Him, and working a work in us? As born-again believers, we must not be static in our lives, but trust God and ask Him to do a work in us. If we believe that Jesus is actually listening to our prayers and is hearing our "noise," all of that involves our faith being stirred. In reality, we are all blind at times, and the only thing we have left is our cries of faith, asking Jesus to do a work in our lives. My encouragement to you and myself is "Don't stop the noise" of crying out to God, and keep believing He is listening, because He is listening.

Here is a great truth found in Psalms 34:¹⁷ The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. ¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. If you are making prayer "noise," then know that God hears and He responds, even instantly at times. That is just how wonderful and powerful our God is, and Jesus sees our every need and changes the noise into instant peace and rest, cause He can be trusted. Sometimes in the silence, we need to call out to God because we have become restless and we long to communicate with our Savior. When that happens, you become a little unsettled, and you need to hear some more noise coming from your heart and voice, calling out to Jesus to come by and intervene.

Jesus is ALWAYS available.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren