Seeing God in Everyday Miracles and Suffering

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing God's Presence in the Ordinary

In our pursuit of the extraordinary, we often overlook the everyday miracles that testify to God's presence. The intricacies of creation, the marvel of the human body, and the capacity for self-healing are all profound demonstrations of God's handiwork. These everyday wonders remind us that God is not absent; rather, His presence is so pervasive that we might miss it if we are not attentive. By recognizing these ordinary miracles, we can deepen our faith and understanding of His constant presence. [01:06]

Psalm 19:1-2 (ESV): "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge."

Reflection: What is one ordinary aspect of your daily life where you can intentionally pause and recognize God's presence today?

Day 2: Finding Purpose in Pain

The story of the man born blind in the Gospel of John challenges the belief that suffering is a direct result of sin. Jesus teaches that pain can have a divine purpose, and sometimes God chooses to display His power through our suffering. This perspective invites us to see our struggles as opportunities for God's work to be revealed. By embracing this view, we can find meaning and purpose in our pain, trusting that God is at work even in our most difficult moments. [08:25]

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Reflection: Think of a current struggle you are facing. How might God be using this situation to display His power and purpose in your life?

Day 3: Embracing Faith Beyond Understanding

The healing of the blind man illustrates that we do not need to understand everything to believe something. Faith often requires us to step beyond our need for complete understanding and trust in the evidence of God's work in our lives and the lives of others. This invitation to faith encourages us to look beyond our doubts and preconceived notions and to embrace the possibility of a God who is far greater than we can imagine. [21:51]

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV): "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust God fully? How can you take a step of faith today, even without complete understanding?

Day 4: Avoiding the Danger of Willful Blindness

The religious leaders' refusal to see beyond their established beliefs serves as a cautionary tale. Their willful blindness prevented them from recognizing the divine work unfolding before them. We must be open to new understandings and willing to look beyond our preconceived notions to truly encounter God. By doing so, we can avoid the risk of missing His greater work in the world and in our lives. [27:36]

Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV): "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Reflection: What is one belief or assumption you hold that might be limiting your ability to see God's work in your life? How can you open yourself to new understandings today?

Day 5: Accepting the Invitation to Look and Believe

John's Gospel invites us to look at the evidence of Jesus' life and works and to consider the possibility of belief. This invitation is extended to all, encouraging us to explore faith with an open heart and mind. By accepting this invitation, we can deepen our relationship with God and experience the transformative power of faith in our lives. [34:53]

John 20:30-31 (ESV): "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Reflection: What evidence of Jesus' life and works can you reflect on today to strengthen your faith? How can you share this evidence with someone who may be seeking belief?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we often find ourselves yearning for grand gestures from God to affirm His presence and power. Yet, in our quest for the spectacular, we may overlook the everyday miracles that surround us. The intricacies of creation, the marvel of the human body, and the capacity for self-healing are all profound demonstrations of God's handiwork. We are reminded that God is not absent; rather, His presence is so pervasive that we might miss it if we are not attentive.

As we delve into the Gospel of John, we encounter the story of a man born blind, whose healing by Jesus serves as a powerful sign. This narrative challenges the prevailing belief of the time that suffering was a direct result of sin. Jesus shifts this paradigm, teaching that pain can have a divine purpose, and sometimes God chooses to display His power through our suffering. The blind man's journey to sight is a testament to faith—trusting in what we cannot see based on the testimony of others.

The religious leaders of the time, however, were blinded by their own presuppositions and unwillingness to see beyond their established beliefs. This willful blindness prevented them from recognizing the divine work unfolding before them. Similarly, we are cautioned against confining God to our limited understanding, as doing so risks missing His greater work in the world and in our lives.

The story of the blind man is a reminder that we do not need to understand everything to believe something. Faith often requires us to step beyond our need for complete understanding and trust in the evidence of God's work in our lives and the lives of others. This invitation to faith is extended to all, encouraging us to look beyond our doubts and preconceived notions and to embrace the possibility of a God who is far greater than we can imagine.

Key Takeaways

1. God's Presence in the Ordinary: We often seek grand signs from God, yet His presence is evident in the everyday miracles of creation and our own existence. Recognizing these can deepen our faith and understanding of His constant presence. [01:06]
2. Purpose in Pain: Jesus teaches that suffering can have a divine purpose, and sometimes God chooses to display His power through our pain. This perspective invites us to see our struggles as opportunities for God's work to be revealed. [08:25]
3. Faith Beyond Understanding: The story of the blind man illustrates that we do not need to understand everything to believe something. Faith often requires trusting in what we cannot see, based on the testimony and experiences of others. [21:51]
4. The Danger of Willful Blindness: The religious leaders' refusal to see beyond their established beliefs serves as a cautionary tale. We must be open to new understandings and willing to look beyond our preconceived notions to truly encounter God. [27:36]
5. An Invitation to Look and Believe: John's Gospel invites us to look at the evidence of Jesus' life and works and to consider the possibility of belief. This invitation is extended to all, encouraging us to explore faith with an open heart and mind. [34:53]
** [34:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Enneagram and Personal Reflections
[00:54] - The Quest for Spectacular Signs
[01:25] - God's Presence in Creation
[03:37] - Introduction to the Series: Bystander
[04:19] - John's Agenda: Belief in Jesus
[05:31] - The Fifth Sign: Healing of a Blind Man
[07:02] - Disciples' Question: Sin and Suffering
[08:10] - Jesus' Teaching on Pain and Purpose
[11:29] - The Blind Man's Faith Journey
[13:33] - The Miracle of Sight
[16:05] - Confrontation with the Pharisees
[20:13] - Willful Blindness of the Religious Leaders
[23:37] - The Blind Man's Bold Testimony
[27:36] - The Risk of Missing God
[30:16] - An Invitation to Look and Believe

Sermon Clips

We often seek grand signs from God, yet His presence is evident in the everyday miracles of creation and our own existence. Recognizing these can deepen our faith and understanding of His constant presence. [00:56:38]

Jesus teaches that suffering can have a divine purpose, and sometimes God chooses to display His power through our pain. This perspective invites us to see our struggles as opportunities for God's work to be revealed. [08:37:03]

The story of the blind man illustrates that we do not need to understand everything to believe something. Faith often requires trusting in what we cannot see, based on the testimony and experiences of others. [13:48:23]

The religious leaders' refusal to see beyond their established beliefs serves as a cautionary tale. We must be open to new understandings and willing to look beyond our preconceived notions to truly encounter God. [20:11:14]

John's Gospel invites us to look at the evidence of Jesus' life and works and to consider the possibility of belief. This invitation is extended to all, encouraging us to explore faith with an open heart and mind. [34:53:00]

Sometimes God chooses to display His power on the platform or the stage of our pain and our suffering. In fact, you've seen that before, I bet. You've seen someone whose pain and suffering, their response to their pain and suffering was so extraordinary, it caused your faith to get bigger. [09:41:57]

The most extraordinary things to me in my personal Christian life, the most extraordinary things to me are not the people who live wrinkle-free lives. Their kids all get scholarships and everybody lives to be 99 and dies in their sleep. That's not impressive, right? [10:04:47]

He chose to trust someone he could not see based on rumors about that person. At the end of John's gospel, we're gonna talk about this when we get there. I just gotta rush ahead. He says this. He said, we talked about a little bit. He said, hey, blessed are you guys 'cause you saw all this stuff. [13:57:70]

I don't have to understand everything to believe something. I don't have to be able to explain everything to believe what's right before my very eyes. I don't have to be able to explain how everything worked out and why it worked out to know that something has happened. [21:29:28]

We should be the most curious, the most accommodating, the most accepting, the most loving, the most compassionate, the most open-minded people in any room we enter. We should not be afraid to gaze past the frontiers of our knowledge, past the frontiers into our ignorance. [29:27:65]

And John's entire message throughout his gospel is simply this. There is something you should see. If you had seen what I saw, if you had seen what we saw, I'm convinced, he would say, we're convinced that you too would believe that Jesus is the Messiah. [32:57:97]

The good news is this. You do not have to understand everything to believe something. So would you consider the invitation of John and just look and perhaps one day believe or for many of you, believe again. [34:48:16]

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