October 17, 2024 Devo

October 17th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Jesus & the Man Born Blind (John 9)
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. ‘Rabbi,’ his disciples asked him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’ ‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.’” – John 9:1-3 (NLT)
“The Megaphone of God”

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This quote is one of my favorites from the late, great C.S. Lewis. It is exactly what Jesus is pointing to in our passage today. This man, who was born blind, is about to have an amazing encounter with God. Whatever his previous thoughts about God were, they were deafened by the shouts of compassion, grace, and healing he was about to experience. His suffering was God’s megaphone opportunity.
I see this played out over and over again. I’ve seen it in people who are fairly nominal and quiet in their faith. Then something happens. An accident. Cancer. The loss of a loved one. And suddenly they hear, see, and experience God as never before. He touches them with His Presence. He draws His People near to Him to bring them comfort and support. He gives them strength and faith they never even knew was possible. They might have heard the whispers of God before, but now they hear Him shouting!
I saw this in North Carolina last week. A woman shared a testimony of how her church was the only building in town that had power after the hurricane. So the people of the church brought the food from their powerless refrigerators at home and began to cook to keep it from spoiling. They invited the church to a meal. They extended the invitation to the community. The first night they fed 200 people. The second night they fed a thousand. As they ran out of food, people from the community and beyond kept bringing more. Over the next several days, trucks and vans arrived restocking and giving them what they needed to meet the need. They might have heard whispers of God’s power and provision before, but now God was shouting it to them!
Our need is God’s opportunity. Our deficit is God’s chance to make up the difference. Our pain is God’s door to show how great a healer He really is. Don’t despise your suffering. Embrace it. And look and listen for the God who is always near and always cares. What you wouldn’t wish on anyone may be the door through which God shows Himself to you like never before. Our pain is the megaphone that God can use to rouse our deaf souls. That’s God’s Word for you today.