Devotional:

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”” — John 9:1-12

From the beginning of all creation, God had a plan. He ordained this miracle to happen on that day, at that location and at that exact time. This blind man was always a part of that plan and because God does not make mistakes, we know it was no accident that Jesus, the disciples and this man crossed paths that day. God perfectly orchestrated all of it for us to see His divinity, power and authority over all things, even the things we cannot control or understand.

This man had lived in complete darkness his whole life. The miracle we looked at yesterday involved a blind man, but the text tells us of him describing objects that looked like people and trees before his eyes were fully healed. So, he had probably lost his eyesight at some point after birth. But the man we read about today wouldn’t have known how to describe those things because he had never seen them. And, if we read a little further in this chapter, verse 32 says: “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.” If that is the case, that makes this miracle very different, especially in the eyes of the Pharisees. 

Jesus was surrounded by Jewish leaders from all over Israel that had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. If you read chapter eight, you’ll see their feathers were already ruffled because Jesus claimed in verse 12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” So, before you continue, I encourage you to stop here and listen to or read all of chapter eight, because after reading that and then reading this miracle, we cannot deny God’s perfect design for all things. God wasn’t thinking of these things on the fly as Jesus walked from place to place doing miracles and teaching. No way! What He designed for us and for all creation always was and always will be. 

When they passed by, the disciples saw the blind man and wanted to know what sin caused his blindness. And Jesus answered them plainly, saying it wasn’t his or his parent’s sin. The reason for their question was because of the common belief among the Jews, they believed illness or disability from birth was a direct punishment from God. They also believed in the ability to sin before birth, inside the womb. The story of Jacob and Esau was one Old Testament teaching they used to validate that belief; Genesis 25:22 says the two brothers struggled inside their mother’s womb. They used verses like this to twist and contort God’s truth to fit their agendas, but Jesus took the disciple’s focus away from the cause of his blindness and pointed them to the purpose of his life with the blindness. 

Something during development took a wrong turn before this man was born, but Jesus tells the disciples it was not punishment. This is important because some can read verse three and think God caused this terrible thing to happen just to use it for His glory. That is not true. God did not cause his blindness, but He knows everything and He knew this man would be born blind. He could have stopped all of it. It would have saved him and his parents from a life of heartache, shame and many difficulties. And God could have fixed his little eyes as he saw it happening. He had the power to change all of it, but instead, God knew something far greater would be in this man’s future.

So, he gently embraced this little baby, imperfections and all and chose life. I imagine God holding him in His arms, explaining that his pain and struggles wouldn’t last forever and that it was only a speck compared to eternity with Him and it would be worth it. And then I see God as He is holding him, telling him story after story of how he was such an important piece of the puzzle that God would use for so many lives to be saved.

So why do these terrible and uncontrollable things happen? That baby did nothing to deserve to be born blind. And just like him, maybe you are suffering from something you didn’t cause or deserve and all you want are answers and reasons why. “Why, Lord? Why did you allow this to happen? What did I do to deserve this?”

We know that God is in control even when it doesn’t feel like it or make any sense, but we also know that the dark things we have no control over are because of the sin in this world. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin, shame and darkness entered the world and with them came things that we have no control over, like diseases, disabilities, pain, heartache and death. They are horrible things that happen because of the brokenness in this world and they can happen to any of us. But we must remember those things are not of God; they are the Enemy’s lies and schemes meant only to destroy us and our faith and trust in God.

Don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying to the disciples, because we are all sinners in need of a savior and God is not a puppet master controlling all our decisions and choices. Sin has natural consequences, sometimes leading to tremendous heartache and pain. Jesus clearly distinguishes between things that can happen to us that are not our fault and things that can happen to us because of our choices.

Although we know all the right answers, the grieving and pain still remains and the questions will always be there. God is the only one who knows everything from beginning to end and is the sole Creator and giver of life. He also protects us from things we can’t understand. One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage during the first trimester without ever knowing a cause, but even in those tragedies, God does understand why. And even though He knows all the things we don’t, He still mourns with us, weeps for us and wants to walk with us through our pain and darkest hours.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

Although we don’t know God’s purpose for the heartaches that we go through as we cry out in anger and frustration, Scripture tells us that life begins at conception and for that reason, every pain, every disease and every struggle can be redeemed and used for God’s glory.

“For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.” — Psalm 139:13-16

After reading that, how can we not believe God knew us before we were even formed and His purpose for knitting us together can only be fulfilled through our birth and living all the days He has written and planned for us?

According to statistics, in 2020, almost one million beautiful babies in the United States were aborted and robbed of their opportunity to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for their life. It is hard to find data for the last two years because states are no longer required to report it, but according to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally, almost 73 million babies were aborted last year alone (2022). Let me paint the picture for you; 73 million is the equivalent of every human living in Florida, Texas and New York. So, imagine wiping out those three states: that is how many babies are aborted around the world every single year. It is hard to imagine and this is a crisis. People are being fed the lie that somehow this isn’t life yet and it’s not of any value and this doesn’t have to interrupt your life. The overwhelming majority, almost 70%, of these abortions are simply because the babies were unplanned and unwanted and only 1.5% were due to rape, incest or severe life-or-death complications, but somehow, that 1.5% continues to drive the argument for abortion rights.

What if everyone in the world believed God had a purpose and plan for all life, from womb to tomb? And what if the world believed His plan was perfect, even in the darkest circumstances? Just like God had a special purpose and plan for this blind man, He has a purpose and plan for all of us, born and unborn.

Maybe you are reading this knowing that you made a choice at some point and that choice wasn’t life. And you never imagined being in this place and that you would still be here, feeling guilt, shame, sadness, regret and every what-if imaginable. God wants to restore you and use your story for His glory. You have a unique platform to speak life to others who feel just like you did; hopeless, scared and confused. Instead of guilt and shame, walk in the confidence and knowledge of Romans 8:1 because there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. He can use your life and your story to point others to Him and He will give you a new story of redemption and the perfect love of a Savior.

One in every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect causing physical and mental challenges. And one in four adults in the United States has some form of disability and disability affects over one billion people across the world.

Maybe you have a physical disability or disease or have lived with a mental challenge and you struggle to see God’s purpose for your life. Or perhaps you are the parent of someone with a disability from birth or one that developed later. God still has a purpose for you and loves you exactly the way you are. You are not a mistake because God does not make mistakes. He chose life for you for the same reason He chose life for all of us. To show His glory and display His love and grace for others to see and to come to know Him, stepping from darkness to light.

You also have a unique platform; don’t waste the life He has given you with anger or self-pity or by focusing on why this happened to you. Instead, focus on God’s purpose and plan for you, His kingdom and His glory.

The Church of Eleven22, we can either be a lid or a launch pad as we walk out the 10:10 Life. We are called to stand up for the unborn because they cannot stand for themselves. We are called to love and support those with special needs and disabilities and to care for those who can no longer care for themselves. God’s design is for us to live an abundant life, from womb to tomb and it begins with us.

God, You are all-knowing, all-powerful and all-perfect and You have the power to give life and restore it. And You can heal and restore us so we can be Your vessels. God, use our strengths and weaknesses, past sins and current struggles for Your glory. And let us stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. Amen