Beat Around The Bush
Title: Beat Around The Bush (To address an issue, but omit its main points, often intentionally.)
Scripture: Matthew 8:5-8:
"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.' 7 And Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' 8 The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.'"
The centurion did not beat around the bush. He openly and directly asked Jesus to heal his servant, acknowledging his unworthiness for Jesus to even go to his home. We can also be open in prayer to the Lord. 1st John 5:14 states: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
Why do people sometimes avoid asking directly what they really want from others? When do you detect that someone is "beating around the bush," are you more apt to respond?
The origin of the phrase, "beat around the bush," is derived from early hunting techniques in which unarmed men would walk around the forest beating tree branches and making noise, so as to flush the game from the bush. This allowed the hunters to avoid directly approaching the animals. This technique was most often used in boar and bird hunting. In boar hunting, this was done as a safety measure due to the razor-sharp tusks and the likelihood of a boar charging a hunter. In bird hunting, this was to scare the birds from their cover so that hunters could take them easily.
Jesus preached the gospel, the "good news," to everyone who wanted to hear it. Jesus' words are good news because they offer freedom, hope, peace of heart, and eternal life with God. The gospel is that the kingdom of heaven has come. God is with us, and He cares for us. Christ can heal us—not just of physical sickness, but of spiritual sickness as well. And there's no sin or problem too great, or too small for Jesus to handle. The centurion didn't allow barriers to block his approach to Jesus. For him, some barriers could have been pride, time, doubt, self-sufficiency, money, power, language, race, and distance. Rather, the centurion allowed none of these to get in his way. He did not beat around the bush when asking Jesus to heal his servant.
Prayer: Thank you, heavenly Father, for hearing and answering our prayers.
Linda Jackson
Scripture: Matthew 8:5-8:
"Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.' 7 And Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' 8 The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.'"
The centurion did not beat around the bush. He openly and directly asked Jesus to heal his servant, acknowledging his unworthiness for Jesus to even go to his home. We can also be open in prayer to the Lord. 1st John 5:14 states: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
Why do people sometimes avoid asking directly what they really want from others? When do you detect that someone is "beating around the bush," are you more apt to respond?
The origin of the phrase, "beat around the bush," is derived from early hunting techniques in which unarmed men would walk around the forest beating tree branches and making noise, so as to flush the game from the bush. This allowed the hunters to avoid directly approaching the animals. This technique was most often used in boar and bird hunting. In boar hunting, this was done as a safety measure due to the razor-sharp tusks and the likelihood of a boar charging a hunter. In bird hunting, this was to scare the birds from their cover so that hunters could take them easily.
Jesus preached the gospel, the "good news," to everyone who wanted to hear it. Jesus' words are good news because they offer freedom, hope, peace of heart, and eternal life with God. The gospel is that the kingdom of heaven has come. God is with us, and He cares for us. Christ can heal us—not just of physical sickness, but of spiritual sickness as well. And there's no sin or problem too great, or too small for Jesus to handle. The centurion didn't allow barriers to block his approach to Jesus. For him, some barriers could have been pride, time, doubt, self-sufficiency, money, power, language, race, and distance. Rather, the centurion allowed none of these to get in his way. He did not beat around the bush when asking Jesus to heal his servant.
Prayer: Thank you, heavenly Father, for hearing and answering our prayers.
Linda Jackson
2 Comments
Amen!
Thank you for this devotional!