“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 9:3)
HOW MANY TIMES in your life have you asked God, “why?” We all do it, especially when bad things happen to us. You’ve heard the response, “Why not?” Because of our limited vision and large sense of self-importance we are surprised when our lives are interrupted by pain or inconvenience. Instead of placing these events in the capable hands of God and putting complete and unquestioning trust in Him, we jump to the question. Why? Our brothers and sisters may see our lack of faith and wonder where His Spirit has flown.
God’s purpose in all things is to bring glory to himself. Tragedy, triumph, pain, and joy are all opportunities to point others to Jesus. He works in all things to bring about change, improvement, and understanding in the hearts of His children. If we know God, we know how He operates. We may not always know His plan, but we can be assured of His ways. He will use us to further those plans if we lean not on our own understanding but on the indwelling Spirit’s communication.
Our lesson is hard learned—let the work of God shine in our lives. He’s asking us to be a living testimony to His great love and power. When we believe in our hearts and know with our minds He has everything under control, we can surrender any outcome to His will.
Chose to let the Light of the World shine through all your circumstances.
Jan Cline is the author of three devotional books. She is a speaker and founder and director of a Christian writers’ conference in the Northwest.
