As [Jesus] went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." — John 9:1-3
Every person is a miracle waiting to happen.
Notice the players here in this little story. There is the man blind from birth. He has given up. He knows he will never see. He doesn’t even know what seeing is. He is helpless and there is no hope.
Along comes average Joe Christian – the disciples. In their sin-centered world, they wanted to turn this man’s misery into a theology lesson.
Then Jesus arrives on the scene. He is the only One who sees the situation for what it really is: an opportunity for God.
Every one of us has problems that aren’t going away. It’s part of the human condition. It might be a problem with health or money or marriage or addiction or whatever. But, if we have the guts to be honest, we have stubborn problems – and, apart from God, there’s no solution.
In fact, I will suggest that we need these kinds of problems if we are ever to learn something about who we are and who God is. Not that we go looking for them. No, they will come to us.
To add insult to injury, we all will have people in our lives who will delight to point out our faults and failings, who will try to convince us that our problems are a result of some sin or shortcoming that we could have avoided.
Then there is God. He sees the problem for what it is: an opportunity for God to show us who He is.
Some of us will discover God as our Healer. Some will discover Him as the One who mends broken hearts. Some of us will find Him as the One who makes a way when there is no way. Some of us will discover God as the One who sets us free.
All of these discoveries started out as people with problems. But then the problem fades and the treasure remains.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.