Listen

Jesus heard they had expelled the man born blind. Finding him, Jesus said, “Do you believe in the Human One?”

He answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

The man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped Jesus.

John 9:35-38

Think

Who would have imagined the healing of a blind man would lead to the same man being kicked out of his religious community? These were the authorities he admired, his teachers, his closest representation of God on earth. Now, they saw him as an enemy of the faith. Imagine if your pastor told you not to come to church anymore, even though you had done nothing wrong. Devastating, right? I wonder if, for a split second, the young man had wished he had never gained his sight, simply to avoid this religious expulsion.

After hearing news of the man’s expulsion, Jesus tirelessly searched for the man — like a shepherd looks for a lost sheep. When he found him, Jesus assured the man that he was in fact the Son of God. This revelation of his true identity gave hope to the man. Once feeling rejected and abandoned, the man now knew Jesus the Messiah would take care of him.

When you feel lost and alone, always remember — Jesus the Son of God will take care of you too.

Matt Andrews

Pray

Compassionate God, sometimes I feel alone in this world. Help me sense your comforting presence. Amen.

Go

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

from “Be Thou my Vision,” traditional Irish hymn

Even now, God is giving you a new vision. What do you see?

What journey must you take to make God’s vision a reality?