Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!
And once again Lord, we lay behind us yet another lovely weekend filled with family, friends and Your obvious Love for us all. While the scorching weather restricted our outdoor activities, there were many Blessings to be found inside with good company, good food and great fun to be had by all. Thank You so much for those days of respite Father!
Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John:
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“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 9:1-3 (NIV)
Now Father, something I hear quite regularly from people going through difficulties in their lives is “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why is God doing this to me?”. I’ll admit it, I’ve even had those thoughts myself over the years. In the case of this passage, when Jesus and His disciples came across a man who had been blind since birth, the question was raised as to whose sin was at fault for his affliction; the man’s or his parents. Jesus clearly replied that it was in fact neither, but instead was intended to allow for Your Grace to be made manifest.
This is an important and powerful truth Father, and one that I fear we all miss now and again. As the limited beings we are, we try desperately to put everything into a “Cause and Effect” bubble. And while quite often there are certainly consequences for our actions, not all earthly suffering is a direct result of a specific “Instigating” sin.
When my son Jonathan was born and we were initially given his grim diagnosis, I spent many hours asking “Why?!?… Why would You do this to us?!?” I was angry, and scared, and very insistently sought answers that at the time, seemed never to come. Ten years later, I realize now that Your Plan for his life, and for mine to a great extent, needed those events to unfold as they did. Our lives, and the lives of many others were altered by his struggle, and Blessed in ways we’re still unraveling today. We weren’t being persecuted for something we’d done, but were instead walking a journey designed by the One with the “Big Picture” in His sight.
“but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Heavenly Father, as this week begins I pray that in times of trial you open our hearts and minds to this fundamental truth. Let us see past our desire to seek fault and lay blame, and gain strength from the knowledge that Your Path for our lives comes from a far greater perspective than our own.
Amen.
~Phather Phil
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
God knows what is going on in our lives. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him. And He never gives us more than we can handle. I like Matthew West’s new song, Stronger. It talks about this subject.
Amen Jenifer! And yes, I like that song as well. 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!
This is a great truth, Phil. God will be glorified. Again, we need to have an eternal perspective and see things through His eye.
Having that eternal perspective is so important, isn’t it Lisa? It’s a difficult view to maintain sometimes, but so worth it!
Have a Blessed Day!
As I read this today, the thoughts of many years of struggle, triumph, blessing, tragedy, pain, love, and just being carried by him in what was thought of as a problem of sins, is remembered. Many a day during my own family’s time have I asked why me. Not until the past 10 yrs did I find out the events were what he needed me to see, conquer, live, understand to make me a better person closer to him. I have learned now that all I do is to be what he needs me to be at that time. Thank you for being you and helping show others what some of us can not see.
Thank you for the kind words Dy! We’re all guilty of asking “Why me?” or blaming God for our feelings of persecution upon occasion. Only by dwelling in our Faith in His benevolence can we grow to understand that everything serves a purpose in His Plan.
Have a Blessed Day!
Such a great post Phil. I agree we all have spent precious time asking “why” to the Lord when we should just ask “what” and just wait to see His glory revealed. He uses us to show Himself… what an incredible blessing! Thanks for this!
Amen Heidi! Trusting in His Plan for us is so important for our Walk.
Have a Blessed Day!
God knows what we need and He does understand when we ask the questions why? Great post have a blessed day
He does indeed Desiray!
Have a Blessed Day!
Phil,
This is a post I needed to read today. I have been asking the why question the last few days. Most of the time I embrace this season I am walking through but there are times I grow weary and tired, and I ask the why questions. I have remember that this path and season I am walking right now is part of the journey he has laid out for me, as you said in your post it is part of the bigger picture that I cannot see at the moment.
Blessings to you Phil.
We all fall into that position now and again Kandi. Thankfully, God knows our hearts and is there for us each time we reach out to Him, even when we stumble in our faith of His Plan for us. 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!
As always I appreciate your perspective, Phil. When our son was born with a birth defect in his eye we had our share of asking why. He is 21 now and currently co-leading a team on an outreach trip to Togo with YWAM. God will be glorified!
It’s amazing, isn’t it Alida… to see how God uses those trials and struggles to shape and temper us? 🙂
Have a Blessed Day my friend!