October 20, 2024 Devo

Sometimes a miracle on God’s part requires an act of faith on ours. Take the man born blind in our passage today. Jesus applies a spit mudpack on the man’s eyes and tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. This man didn’t know who Jesus was. He had no idea why Jesus was putting mud over his eyes. Jesus never even told the man that anything special would happen if he did what he was told. But he did it anyway. Read that last sentence again. He did it anyway.
Obedience on the front end often produces blessings on the back end. God doesn’t always tell us WHY He wants us to do what He wants. Sometimes He just says, “Go.” Like the blind man, we don’t have to do it. We can blow God off or reason Him away or just decide to stay where we are doing what we’re doing. But when we do that, we may miss something big that God’s up to in our life or the life of someone else.
I remember some years ago working out in the gym at L.A. Fitness in Phoenix. As I began my workout, I kept feeling like God was prompting me to speak to a young lady who was working out beside me. Because guys often hit on women in gyms, and I didn’t want to come across as a creep, I wouldn’t do it. But every time she was close during my entire workout time, I kept feeling that nudge from God. Finally, after I finished and was getting ready to head home, I walked past her and decided just to stop and say hello. After a moment of polite exchanges, she said, “What do you do for a living?” I said, “I’m a pastor.” Her face changed expressions and she said, “Can we talk?” I sat down, and she poured her heart out to me about discovering that her husband was an addict, and she had no idea what to do. I listened and shared about many of the resources in our area for people dealing with addictions and where she could find help and support for herself. I then asked her if I could pray for her. There, in the middle of L.A. Fitness, God brought comfort and healing to her heart. It was one of the most amazing moments I’ve ever been a part of.
Let me repeat what I said at the beginning. Sometimes the miracles of God require an act of faith on our part. If I had not spoken to that woman, she would have continued to suffer alone. And I would have missed one of the more magical moments of the working of God. What steps of faith is God asking of you? Don’t blow Him off as I almost did. That step of faith God is calling you to might just be your part in His miracle. That’s God’s Word for you today.