God's Glory In Blindness

Scripture:
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." (John 9:1-3)

Observation:
This man had been blind from when he was born. We don't know how old he is, but he is called a "man" and not a boy, so he at least had to be older than a teenager. Normally you would say that blindness would be from the devil, or from a lack of faith, but Jesus says that this man's blindness was a part of God's plan. Can you imagine your son being blind for 20 years or more? You might think that God was against you, but not knowing that God was going to use that situation for His own glory. You would never think that something as terrible as blindness could be the hand of God in someone's life. A lot of the TV preachers teach that poverty and sickness is always a work of Satan, or a lack of faith. I'm sure his family had prayed for years for God to cure his blindness. "Name it and claim it" would have done this man no good because who can come against the hand of God?

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

Application:
God's glory, is more important than my comfort, health or wealth. You cannot measure God's work in your life based on how good your life is going. I know there are some bad things in my life that are a result of my bad choices, and I know there are some things that are a result of my lack of faith, but I also know there are some trials that God has brought upon me to mature me. Sometimes I get so caught up thinking about myself, forgetting that the most important thing is God's glory. I know that I'm a child of God, and that entitles me to certain things. But more important than me, is the glory of God. Whether I'm rich or poor, whether I'm healthy or sick, God is glorious, and he deserves my praise!

I need to take the authority that God has given me to overcome the attacks of the enemy, and to pull down the strongholds in my life! I also need discernment to know when something is from the enemy, or when it is the hand of God in my life.

Hebrews 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by a constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you for healing my spiritual blindness. Thank you for raising my dead spirit. Thank you for forgiving all my sins. You are worthy of all glory, honor and praise. Help me to discern from good and evil. Help me to recognize when you are at work, and when the enemy is at work in my life. In Jesus name, Amen!