Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"Fulfilling Your Purpose"
November 30, 2017
As He (Jesus) 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 (ESV)
Sixty-six-year-old contractor, Oon Seen, was driving home from work in Baling, Malaysia, when he came across a head-on collision.
His first thought was to free the victims using a hand axe to break the windows. A locked door forced him to use the axe to break the lock and force the door open with his legs. He was able to pull 37-year-old Sri Nursuzawilati from her car before it was engulfed in flames.
Seen believes he just happened to be at the right place and time. "I was just helping someone in need, and we must help whenever we can," he said humbly. He gets it. He understands we are here to help others. Of course, we may not know the time or event or needed action until we are there.
Have you ever thought of some of the people in the Bible who were in the right place at the right time? Have you ever wondered at their patience as they waited for that time to come or their courage to face what had to be done?
Think upon Moses. He thought he knew God's purpose for his life and how he was to help his people, the Israelites. When Moses was 40 years old, he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. Moses killed the Egyptian (see Exodus 2, Acts 7). Acts 7 tells us that Moses supposed his brothers would understand that God was using him to save them. He supposed wrongly. Moses had to flee and live 40 years as an exiled shepherd before God called him back to help His people.
Think upon the work done by Esther. Esther was a humble orphan girl, but God made her wife of the world's most powerful man. When an enemy plotted to destroy her people, she was afraid to intercede for them. Eventually, her uncle Mordecai reminded Esther she may have been placed in her position "for such a time as this."
Yet another person from the Bible who had both patience and courage was the man who was born blind (see John 9:1-12). Imagine, he had spent his entire childhood unable to see mother or father, unable to go places without assistance, being forced to beg for a living outside of the temple. In the text above, Jesus says the man had been born blind "so that the work of God might be displayed in him."
Was it worth it? I hear no complaint from him about the past. What he did do was rejoice.
The ex-blind man rejoiced that his earthly vision had been restored and, at the same time, he was given the faith and insight to see the Savior. He could worship Jesus who had come to offer His life to lead people out of sin's darkness, into the God-given light of faith in the Redeemer.
But our miracle man's faith was not confined to gazing at the Redeemer. No, he confessed that faith in a powerful witness that shut down the judgmental Pharisees. He said, "If this man were not from God, He could do nothing" (John 9:33).
The man became just one more biblical person who helps us understand that while our situations and circumstances might be isolating, painful, or frightening, they may also be a springboard the Lord can use to display His power in our lives.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have created us for a purpose. Please grant us the vision to see Your will in our lives and the wisdom to trust You when we cannot. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Sixty-six-year-old contractor, Oon Seen, was driving home from work in Baling, Malaysia, when...
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