How quickly do you respond to God's call?
VideoTranscript
This is the video’s transcript, lightly formatted. Tap a time to jump to that moment.
It was a day like any other in ancient Jericho. The duster streets were crowded with travelers, merchants, and locals going about their daily business. The air was filled with the usual sounds of a bustling city, people haggling over prices, donkeys braaying, children playing. But for two men sitting by the roadside, the world was forever dark. They couldn't see the blue of the sky, the faces of their loved ones, or even the road in front of them. These men were blind, reduced to begging for their survival. But on this particular day, something different was happening.
There was an unusual excitement in the air, a buzz of anticipation. They could hear the murmuring of a large crowd approaching. "What's happening?" they asked those nearby. "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by," came the reply. Even in their darkness, these men had heard stories about this Jesus. How he taught with authority unlike the scribes, how he performed miracles, and most importantly to them in that moment, how he healed the sick.
And in that moment, hope burst forth in their hearts. This might be their only chance. Without hesitation, they began to cry out, "Lord, son of David, have mercy on us." The crowd was annoyed by their shouting and told them to be quiet. But these men would not be silenced. They cried out all the more loudly, "Lord, son of David, have mercy on us." And then something remarkable happened.
The footsteps of the crowd stopped. There was a sudden hush. Jesus had heard their cries and stood still. "Call them," he said. With hearts pounding, the blind man heard Jesus ask, "What do you want me to do for you?" Their answer was simple and direct. Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.
Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately, light flooded in where there had only been darkness. Colors, shapes, faces, a whole new world opened up before them. The first face they saw was the compassionate face of Jesus. And what did these men do after receiving such an incredible gift? The scripture tells us simply, they followed him. No hesitation, no delay, no excuses.
They received their sight and immediately followed Jesus. I was reading in Matthew last night and this account in chapter 20 24 really struck me. When Jesus heals these two blind men, they immediately follow him. It wasn't a decision they needed to think about or plan for. They didn't say, "Well, let me go tell my family first or I'll catch up with Jesus later." No, they immediately followed. This immediate response to God's call is something we see throughout scripture.
When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter and Andrew casting their nets, he said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:20 tells us, "Immediately they left their nets and followed him." The same thing happened with James and John just a little further down the shore. Jesus called them, and in Matthew 4:22 says, "Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Now think about that. These men left behind their livelihoods, their security, their family businesses immediately. No twoe notice, no time to sell their equipment, no farewell party, just immediate obedience.
We see this pattern repeated with Max, Matthew the tax collector. Luke 5:27:28 tells us that Jesus saw Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, "Follow me." And what was Matthew's response? and he left everything, rose, and followed him. Immediate, decisive, complete. But it's not just in the New Testament that we see this immediate response to God's call. You remember Abraham?
Genesis 12 tells us that God said to him, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." This was a massive ask. Leave everything familiar. Leave your extended family. leave your homeland and go to well God would tell him later where exactly. And yet verse four says simply so Abram went as the Lord had told him. There's something powerful about this immediate obedience.
It demonstrates a heart that recognizes God's voice and values his call above all else. It shows a trust that doesn't need all the details figured out before taking the first step. But let's be honest, not everyone in scripture responded like that. Some hesitated, questioned, or even refused God's call. Moses at the burning bush offered excuse after excuse. Jonah ran in the opposite direction. Gideon needed multiple signs.
The rich young ruler, Mark 10, went away sad because he couldn't bring himself to follow Jesus instruction to sell his possessions and give to the poor. And you know what? Many of those people eventually did follow God's call. Moses became one of the greatest leaders in Israel's history. Jonah, after his detour in the belly of a fish for a few days, preached to Nineveh and saw an entire city repent. Gideon led Israel to victory against overwhelming odds. But I can't help but wonder, how much richer might their stories have been if they had followed immediately?
What suffering might Moses have avoided if he hadn't resisted God's call? What trauma might Jonah have been spared if he hadn't run from God? How much sooner might Israel have been delivered if Gideon hadn't needed so much reassurance? When we delay in following God's call, we often miss the fullness of what he has set up for us. We create unnecessary detours in our spiritual journey. We cause ourselves needless anxiety and struggle. I think about this in my own life.
There have been times when God has nudged me to do something. Maybe to call somebody that I hadn't heard from in a long time, to apologize for something I did wrong, to give generously to a need, speak up about my faith, anything like that. And I've hesitated. Maybe later, I tell myself. Let me think about it some more. I need to better prepare. And in those moments of hesitation, the opportunity slips away.
The moment passes, the door closes, it's gone. But there have also been beautiful moments when I've responded immediately to God's prompting. And almost without exception, those immediate responses have led to some of the most profound and meaningful experiences of my life. I call these destiny moments. Moments when you feel a stir in your soul that tells you what you need to do. I experienced one of these moments with Beth, who's now my wife. I had known Beth marginally for a few years.
Her parents were in my congregation, and I had met and spoken briefly with her in various situations, but never thought anything of it beyond that. Well, that changed after I moved from Dallas, Texas, that area, to North Carolina. I took a trip down to visit Beth's parents. Her mom suggested we all go to the Dallas Museum of Art together the next day, including Beth's older brother. But the next morning, her parents begged off and her brother came down ill, so it was just me and Beth in the car. Wasn't supposed to be a date, but that's what it became. After going to the museum, we went to a little pizza place nearby.
We weren't discussing anything of consequence. Remember, this wasn't supposed to be a date. In fact, Beth was talking about some other guy that hadn't turned into anything and was expressing her disappointment about it. In that moment on our first date, I had a destiny moment. The overwhelming sense that this woman in front of me was going to be my wife. Was it logical to feel that way on the first date? No.
She lived across the country, had a job, an apartment, a life. How on earth was this going to work? If I had sat down and thought about it, I would have told myself I was being ridiculous. But I didn't think about it. I just knew. And we celebrate our 10th anniversary next month. I've had those kinds of moments throughout life, prompting me to take some kind of action, move on from one job to another, call someone I hadn't spoken to in a long time.
Those instances have frequently turned out to be destiny moments that changed my life forever. It was God's call not to think but to act. So what makes a difference? Why do some people follow immediately while others hesitate or refuse? Well, for the blind men in our story, it was fairly obvious why they followed immediately. Jesus had just performed an undeniable miracle in their lives. They could see.
Of course, they would follow the one who had given them such an incredible gift. It's like the man born blind in John chapter 9. After Jesus healed him, the religious leaders questioned him repeatedly, trying to get him to denounce Jesus. But he stood firm, saying in John 9:25, "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." When God's power has touched your life in an undeniable way, following him is the most natural response. But what about when God's call isn't accompanied by such dramatic evidence? What about when the burning bush doesn't appear?
When the seas don't part, when our physical eyes aren't suddenly opened, this is where our spiritual senses come in. In Isaiah 30 21, God promises, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, "This is the way. Walk in it when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left." God speaks to us through his Holy Spirit, guiding us with an inner voice that directs our path. Jesus described this ability to recognize God's voice in John 10:27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. Just as a sheep learns to recognize and trust the voice of its shepherd, we learn to recognize and trust the voice of God.
But this recognition doesn't happen automatically. It's developed through relationship, through time spending God's presence, through familiarity with his word. So we understand how he acts. That's why Psalm 119:105 tells us, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." The more we immerse ourselves in scripture, the more familiar we become with God's voice, his character, his ways. We begin to recognize his prompings because they align with what we know of him from his word. But here's the challenge.
Our world is noisy. There are so many voices competing for our attention all the time. distractions vying for our focus. Social media, entertainment, work pressures, family demands, all these can drown out that still small voice of God if we're not intentional about listening. Jesus often withdrew to quiet places to pray and commune with his father. In Mark 1:35, we're told, "And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed."
If Jesus, the son of God, needed this quiet time to hear from his father, how much more do we when we create space in our lives for silence and solitude? When we quiet the external noise, we make room to hear God's voice and we have to quiet this noise, too. And that way, when we hear his voice, we're more likely to follow immediately because we recognize who is speaking. All that noise is gone and we're focused. It's not just about hearing, though. It's about responding. James tells us to be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.
Knowledge without action, it's just information. God's call requires response. Think about the Israelites at the edge of the promised land. They heard God's call to go in and take possession of the land. But instead of following, immediately, they sent in spies. And when the spies returned with reports of giants in the land, the people refused to enter. Their hesitation turned to fear, and their fear led to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
An entire generation missed out on the promise because they didn't follow God's call immediately. Contrast that with Joshua and Caleb, who are ready to enter the land right away. In Numbers 14:9, they urged the people. Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land. The Lord is with us. Do not fear them. Joshua and Caleb recognized God's voice, trusted his promise, and were ready to follow immediately.
The story of the blind man reminds us that when we encounter Jesus, when his power touches our lives, the appropriate response is to follow him immediately. Whether he's calling us to a major life change or a simple act of obedience, whether he's asking us to go to the other side of the world or just the other side of the street, our response should be immediate. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Paul reminds us, "Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation." There's an urgency to God's call that demands our immediate attention. So, where is God calling you today? What nudge of the Holy Spirit have you been ignoring?
What step of faith have you been postponing? What act of obedience have you been delaying? Maybe he's calling you to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply. Maybe he's asking you to take a stand for truth in your workplace. Maybe he's inviting you to step out in faith and trust him with your finances. Maybe he's asking you to share your faith with a neighbor or a friend. Whatever it is, don't delay, don't hesitate, don't make excuses.
Follow immediately like the blind men who receive their sight. When we follow God immediately, we step into his fullness and the plan that he's created for our lives. We experience his power in ways we never would have if we hesitated. We become witnesses to his faithfulness, his goodness, and his love. The blind men followed Jesus immediately. And I don't think they ever regretted that decision. Think about it.
They got to witness more miracles. They got to hear more of his teaching. They got to be part of the community that followed him. And most importantly, they got to personally know Jesus Christ, not just as a healer, but as Lord, Savior, and friend. That same opportunity is available to us today. Jesus is still calling. follow me.
Will you follow him immediately? Hebrews 3:15 urges us today. If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Don't let familiarity with the call dull your response. Don't let fear of the unknown prevent your obedience. Don't let the comforts of the present blind you to the joys of following Jesus. Instead, be like the blind men who, when they receive their sight, immediately followed Jesus.
Be like Peter, Andrew, James, and John who immediately left their nets. Like Matthew who immediately left his tax booth. Like Abraham who immediately set out for the land God would show him. He didn't even know where he was going. Because when God calls, the best response is always immediate response. His timing is perfect. His plans are good.
His ways are higher than our ways. and following him immediately is always always worth it. So let this be our prayer. Father Aba, open our eyes to see your hand at work in our lives. Open our ears to hear your voice calling us. Give us hearts that respond immediately to your prompings. Forgive us for the times we've hesitated, made excuses, or refused your call.
Help us to recognize your voice above the noise of this world. And when we hear you calling, give us the courage to follow immediately, knowing that wherever you lead, you are already there. Make us like those blind men who, when they received their sight, didn't hesitate, but immediately followed you. For we know that in following you, we find purpose, meaning, joy, and life abundant. In Jesus' name, amen. [Music]
