by Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Have you ever stumbled upon a spiritual truth and just couldn’t shake it? You might forget yesterday’s Bible reading or last Sunday’s sermon but this spiritual gem stays forefront in your mind. That is exactly what happened to me this last week! I just have to share it!
We are often blessed to have a missionary speak in our church but this missionary was quite unique! You see, he is totally blind! He brought a message that really had the hand of God in it and I have no doubt that he touched every heart present.
After the services, (and most of us had returned home), several families hung around to fellowship late into the evening. One member had a question that is often assumed by many people. She asked him, “Is it true that when you lose your sight, your other senses such as hearing gets sharper?”
His reply to her was priceless and had a deep spiritual truth! Upon hearing about his response, I have been chewing on it ever since! He prefaced his answer by asking if she wanted the physical or spiritual answer. This took her aback but then he continued.
“Your hearing doesn’t get sharper with blindness but, you find yourself listening more intently and purposefully. You listen to the echo off a wall to know how close you are. You listen to a person’s voice to determine their physical height. Sounds give clues to what is happening all around you. Spiritually, once we become blind to this world, we are in a position to hear the voice of God.”
Psalm 146:8. The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
BAM!!! I could not shake that thought! How often have I had my eyes focused on other things that kept me from listening to the voice of God. There were occasions that I was too tired from family responsibilities. Sometimes I was too caught up in other duties at work or even church. Other times I was just busy with the cares of this world (hello hobbies!). I could usually justify my lack of attention to the Lord but that was just it – justifications!
II Peter 1:4-9
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
In order to see, I need to be blinded to this world and listen to that still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. I need to come apart and become blind to my desires, my hobbies, and, yes, my justifications and excuses. It is a decisive choice. Once I yield my desires and choices to God, I can see clearly.
Ephesians 5:8. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.
I love this. I also love it when God sticks a thought in our mind and we can take that thought and grow with it. This is definitely one of those thoughts. We can grow with this thought, “Are we really seeing God?”