“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:13)
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you can only ask yourself: Why am I in this condition? What happened? How did I get here?
You try to self- evaluate and realize although you are definitely not a perfect person, you genuinely can’t find deserving reasons for your situation.
Sometimes it can even feel that you are receiving quite the opposite of what you have invested and worked on.
And it seems life is just that way.
No matter how you try to see it, it will feel like a constant head scratcher if you are trying to figure it out.
This man was born blind, and his condition was thought of as a curse. The ancient belief was that this must have been the result of sin, either his own or a generational one.
Even if you know Jesus, please remember today that your belief does not exempt you from suffering. I could argue it’s quite the opposite.
And when you find yourself in those unexpected situations that bring profound suffering and grief that you cannot explain, you may feel like Mary weeping at Jesus feet, when her brother died. (John 11:33)
“Jesus, if you were here, this wouldn’t have happened.”
If we are completely honest, when you feel like you really didn’t do anything wrong, you had faith and still feel like you lost, your grief can cause you to shift blame to Jesus or feel like you were abandoned by him.
If you’ve felt that, know that Jesus is not offended by that feeling. In his humanity, he felt it too.
After years of healing many people from their sicknesses, doing good, feeding the hungry, being there for those in need, saving and forgiving many people and restoring their lives, he ended up in the worst and most painful and shameful death anyone at his time could have.
So while he was nailed at the cross and dying, he felt the weight of grief and loss and felt alone and abandoned by God.
He said: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46)
We forget that in this life affected by the sin of man all around, Jesus did not promise to spare you from troubles and pain. He didn’t do that even for himself or his disciples. That kind of life is reserved for paradise and eternal life with him. That kind of life is what we hold on to in hoping for and moves us closer to Jesus even when life here sucks.
But while we are here, Jesus is more than our problem solver—He is our Redeemer.
He comes in and takes the weight of grief and loss from your shoulders and redeems you from it. He turns your valley of weeping and turns it into a place of springs (Psalms 84:6) and what was meant for evil in this life against you, he is able to turn it for good. (Genesis 50:20)
That is what God is able to do when we still decide to trust in him and lean on him, even when it’s hard and it hurts.
God is able to redeem your pain. You’ve heard it before, just like Martha, but he still reminds you today if you need it.
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
Times of uncertainty, pain, grief and loss are still times to believe God, not just with particular outcomes we have hold on to but also with his redeeming work in us and how the power of God can manifest in our lives and turn everything for our good.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Simple Daily Prayer:
Dear God,
I lift up my eyes to you today. Help me to be able to see above and beyond my feelings of sorrow and grief. Help me to take heart and to overcome the pain of this world and open my eyes to be able to see your Glory as you promised.
