Lent Devotional - Day 17

Read John 9:1-12.

I love Jesus’ perspective about the needs of people in the world: “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Every weakness that we have, every setback, and need that we have in life is to be seen as an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed in us. What a perspective!

So rather than blaming and making excuses, we are to take these things to Jesus and wait and see what he will do with them. Think of these things as personal invitations to get to know God. The actual physical results are up to God, but we must first surrender it all to Jesus. We must let him be Lord and let him determine what is good and necessary in our lives.

Just like the mud that Jesus makes with his spit and dirt, he is the potter and we are the clay. We must trust the hands of the potter and let him make us into what he desires. Do you trust the firm, loving hands of Jesus in your life? Do you trust God’s heart and that he will only do good in your life? Or are we always judging God ready to cancel him if we feel like he’s not being good?

This is where we need the mind of Christ and have the same attitude as him when it comes to the Father.

This blind beggar must have experienced all sorts of mistreatments, but to have someone come and smear mud on him must have taken the cake, but when he was sent to the Pool of Sent and washed like he was commanded by Jesus, he experienced healing. I’m sure he did not wake up that day to do all that. His expectation was probably that it was another same day of begging, however when Jesus came into his life and he heard Jesus’ command, he obeyed and was healed.

This is why we want to be near Jesus. This is why we want to spend time with him and be in his word and always be listening. One of the ways that Jesus works in our lives is that: our needs are made known to Jesus, we wait and listen, Jesus speaks, we hear him, we obey him, and then we experience God.

There is lot for us to do in this process and if we miss out on one of these things we miss out on God. Grow in your trust in Jesus and begin to do everything he commands you and allow the Potter to display his glory in and through you today.