"Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3
So nothing happens, it comes to reason, without God’s permission. It’s encouraging to think that everything that happens has a purpose. Sometimes bad things happen not because we are bad, but so that God might be glorified and so that the one afflicted can be lifted up.
So what has God allowed to happen to me, or sent to me, today, or last week, or decades ago that’s supposed to result in “the works of God being displayed”? How many times have I allowed my difficulties to become my opportunities to fall into self pity rather than falling into my Father’s arms and saying, “Have your way and do whatever it takes to give the glory?” Have my misfortunes and missteps been opportunities for HIM to receive the attention and perhaps draw others to Him, or have I insisted on being noticed, pitied and the center of attention and become a stumbling block to others that might have found Him?
This man is not one we need to feel sorry for, but admired. He was chosen, selected, set apart for this event so that he might testify to what God had done for him! And if you read the entire narrative you’ll see a man of courage that put the Pharisees in their place and clearly refuted their charge that Jesus was not the Son of God! Jesus set this man free to shake up the calcified religious thinking of his day—-he rattled the Pharisees!
“One thing I know, I was blind, but now I see…”. So may it be with me! May we all come through this pandemic and all the economic and social tragedy that it’s creating and be able to say, “We know this, our heavenly Father has been glorified in the manner in which we endured and we can see better than ever now!”
Lord, awake this nation and give us back our sight; give heart and soul back to our local communities, restore reverence and worship to our churches and Christian ministries, please heal our world, in the name of Jesus.
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