Why Do the Storms Come?

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Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 (ESV)

Imagine. Blind from birth. Your whole life cloaked in darkness. Looked down upon by everyone. Forced to beg because you can’t work for a living. Always wondering what will happen next, in dread of what your future holds.

Then, Jesus.

You see, in Jesus’ day, injuries, disabilities, and illnesses were seen as the physical results of spiritual sin. People assumed that the poor unfortunate souls were sick or disabled because they (or their parents) had sinned in some way.

The prejudice had to be as suffocating as the constant darkness. People always assuming the worst of you and looking down their noses at you. I imagine that this blind man was not happy with his life. It must have seemed like everything was always going wrong.

Do you ever feel surrounded by trouble?

I know I do. There are stormy seasons in life that can feel like everything is against us. Times when we may feel friendless or hopeless (even when that is not the case).

Jesus does not look down on the blind man. He does not pass by, ignoring this poor man. He steps in and heals the blind man. No more blindness. No more begging.

Healed. Whole. Delivered.

A Different Perspective

Jesus has a different perspective than the people who fill the world of this blind man. When the people ask who has sinned to cause the man’s misfortune, here is what the Son of God has to say:

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3 (ESV)

You see, when things are going really well, most of us don’t think to give glory to God. We simply enjoy the pleasant times.

But during the storms…

In the storms of life is when the glory of God is revealed. When the storms rage, we naturally turn to God for help. When we stop depending on our own strength, that’s when God reveals His amazing glory.

In fact, in the storms of life, we can see tremendous displays of God’s power. We just have to change our perspective.

The lightning that illuminates the sky is charged with the power of the Creator of all things.

Are you in a storm right now? Do you wonder why these things are happening to you?

If we align our perspective with the one Jesus has, we recognize that the storms come so that God’s glory can be displayed.

Action Step:

Perhaps it is time for a perspective change. Let’s look for the work of God in the middle of the storm. How can His glory be displayed in us? If we pray for His glory to come from our difficult situations, we may be amazed at the outcome. Sometimes, the result we are praying for is smaller than what God has in mind. The blind man was probably praying for financial provision or that people would accept him. He had never known anything but blindness and most likely did not even consider the impossibility of being completely healed. How often am I like that man? In the midst of trouble, I don’t always see the big solutions that are made possible when I ask the God of the impossible. Let’s pray for God’s glory to be displayed in us.

Prayer:

Dear God, sometimes the storms surround us, but You can use these storms to display His power and reveal His glory. Help us to change our perspectives to be more like Jesus. Show your glory in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.