The next step is . . .

This morning, I came to the Word of God with impatience in my heart toward those who hear truth and agree with it, but almost immediately forget what they heard. I wondered what is going on? Why does that happen?

Today’s Scripture passage is a ‘big picture’ truth that at first had me tangled up in the details. However, the Holy Spirit gives me a broader look. This is the passage:

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1–6)

Tozer puts the problem of blindness to truth in the hands of Satan who does the blinding and people who willfully refuse to see. This brings to mind the idea that we walk with Christ along a path like a person walking with a flashlight; we must step into the light God gives us before that light moves ahead to reveal the next step.

I’ve thought of this in terms of those who are Christ’s and in the process of becoming like Christ. Yet this also applies to those who do not know Him. They are also on a path and searching for whatever works for them. In spiritual matters, the first light God gives is that He exists. God reveals this truth to everyone, even to those who suppress this truth:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19–20)

These are people who know there is a God but do not honor or give thanks to Him. By refusing to step into this light, no more light is given. The next step cannot be taken unless the existence of God is believed:

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

What more can God show to a person who rejects this revelation!

A big picture view of redemption tells me that the next light is likely that revelation that I am a sinner and fall short of the glory of God. While there may be other steps before this one, this is a bright light. If refused, again, what else can God do? The gospel may be preached, but without the sense of ‘I need it’ there is no advancement made.

One commentary says that the sun does not cease to be sun even if a blind person cannot see it. The light is there, but the person who insists they don’t need it cannot see beyond that truth; it is offensive to them. They might go from that into all sorts of cults and isms to find a more “tasteful” salvation plan that does not require them to yield their lives in unconditional surrender to God. At this, their minds slide into the realm of the Liar who messes with them, so they will not and cannot think as God thinks.

Satan knows how to keep sightless those who rebel against God. When light is refused, the uncomprehending mind is unaffected by more light because of their blindness to the light they already have. Without responding to it, their journey toward God and truth grinds to a halt.

This big picture of spiritual blindness speaks also to me. It explains and warns of the danger of disobedience. In grace, when I refuse something God shows me, He will take me back over the lesson in various ways on that part of the path until I ‘get it’ — yet while that is happening, my spiritual life goes in circles. We sometimes liken it to the Israelites wandering around in the wilderness. This is what happens when anyone says no to the light God gives — progress is hindered if not halted.

Lately, I’ve noticed this wandering in others but have become impatient, even grumbling, why don’t they realize this? However, until today I’d not connected their lack of light with a failure to walk in the light they already have. These Scripture passages help me know how to pray for ‘stalled’ believers and unbelievers. I don’t know what they are stumbling over, but I can pray God will help them step into the light they have.

I also need to pray about my impatience. It is a hindrance to my own progress. If I am going to be more like Jesus, then I must be less annoyed with people, more understanding, more considerate in my prayers and with greater long-suffering toward those who struggle against the light God has presented to them as their next step.

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Jesus, You are so quick to answer my prayer for wisdom concerning patience. I know that the Holy Spirit will grant this to me as soon as I step into this light that You have given me. Thank You.

Seeing God

The skeptic says, “If I could see God, maybe I would believe in Him.” Against this, we use arguments like, “No one can see electricity yet we believe in it,” but when it comes right down to it, God cannot be seen by those who do not believe. This is not about our blindness so much as that God is able to hide Himself from human eye. 

In the days of the kings of Israel, He hid Himself because of their evil deeds, revealing Himself only to those who believed in Him and followed Him. David experienced God, as did his son, Solomon. Both were determined to build a temple for worship, a place that God said He would inhabit as they honored Him.

Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” (1 Kings 8:12–13)

Solomon dedicated the temple, but God had revealed enough about Himself that this man knew that the God he worshipped was unlike the idols of the nations around him. They put their idols on a pedestal, but Solomon said to God…

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! (1 Kings 8:27)

He also knew enough about God that seeing Him was not as important as being able to communicate with Him in prayer, and that God’s eyes were open to him. He added these words to God…

Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. (1 Kings 8:28-30)

Many centuries later, the Living Temple of God, Jesus Christ, appeared that men might see God and experience His forgiveness. The Bible says of Him that “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3) and “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).

Because of the grace and mercy of God, He revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ. He did this because we need to see Him. It is in seeing Him that we become like Him. It is in seeing Him that our sins are forgiven and our prayers are heard and answered. It is in seeing Him that we believe and are saved.

As for those who claim they will not believe unless they can see, Jesus no longer walks this earth, but He can be seen in the pages of the written Word, and even in the world that He created. Look for Him and He can be found. Most amazing, He can also be seen in the godliness of His people and in the works that Christians do. 

Yet this seeing comes with a price, an exchange. Those who want to see God need to give Him their sin, trading it for His righteousness. At the request of a sincere and honest heart, God will remove the blackness of sin and open the eyes of those who have been blinded by it. Of them He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

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The marvel of believing in Jesus is being able to walk in the light of Your presence, catching glimpses of You in all of life, even in the small events of my day. This is not ordinary vision that requires eyes of flesh. Seeing You is better than that. It is a vision of the heart, produced by a faith that knows You are here because You promised that You would never leave or forsake me. This means that I can also see You in the thick dark places of life because seeing You does not require sunshine or happy times. Instead, You revealed Yourself in Jesus Christ. Because of Him, I can see that You are far more wonderful than anyone could hope for or even imagine. Thank You.

Precious sight

Last night we celebrated my husband’s birthday. While there was lots of laughter, we came home feeling a bit empty. Not everyone in our family claims to know Jesus Christ so spiritual fellowship was a missing ingredient.

When praying for them, I ask the Lord to reveal Himself. If anyone who does not know Jesus could just “see” Him, I’m certain that they would be drawn to Him and love Him as I do. Yet seeing Jesus is not about eyesight, but a work of God. This morning, my devotions remind me of this, and the opposite inability to see.

That very day two of them (Jesus’ disciples) were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:13–16)

These two disciples of Christ were very familiar with His appearance. That they could not recognize Him is startling, to say the least. However, this event shows that “seeing Jesus” is about the power of God, not any human powers of perception. Those who think that Jesus is just a man, or a good teacher, or at best a prophet, cannot think otherwise unless God opens their eyes.

I consider my own experience. I went to Sunday school and daily vacation Bible school as a child. When thirteen or so, I started reading my Bible every day. After 16-17 years, I still could not see Jesus. Oh, I knew He existed but was blind to His identity and power. I had no idea what I was missing.

Some of my family are like that. They are blind to spiritual realities and oblivious to the life and power of the One who died for their sin. They do not even see their need for Him, even though at times they seem to realize their need for forgiveness and the power to live righteously.

Seeing Jesus requires a desire to see, but even then, human desire is not enough. The disciples on the road to Emmaus were certainly open to seeing Him, but “their eyes were kept” and they could not. Apart from the revelatory power of God, Jesus would have remained hidden. This is the same for everyone, no matter how intense our investigation into His life and death.

When Jesus confronted a man named Saul on the road to Damascus, He said to him, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles — to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:15–18)

Saul (who became Paul) saw someone on that road, but didn’t know who it was. Jesus had to identify Himself. He also told this once-blind man that He would use him to open eyes, and turn people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God.

This inability to see Jesus is partly a human problem, for sin blinds everyone, sometimes even Christians, to spiritual realities. But darkness is also a demonic issue. Paul later wrote, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) and that God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). Satan holds people in darkness for that is his realm. Light belongs to God and to Jesus, who is the Light of the world.

Yesterday I was in a mall and saw a man with a white cane and a seeing eye dog. I marveled at his confidence to move through a complicated space without faltering. The dog kept him from bumping into chairs and tables. Yet even though this dog makes function possible, those of us with sight know how precious it is to be able to see.

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Father, I am so thankful for eyesight, but even more, that You have opened my eyes to see Jesus who gives me such peace and joy. At the same time, I am saddened over others who are oblivious to Your glory. I watch them use whatever works for them, along the line of canes and dogs, so they can make it through life, but my deepest desire is that You open their eyes and deliver them from their darkness.

So many in my family, unlike the blind man in the mall who rightly appreciates his “aids” to seeing, seem oblivious to their blindness. They rely on props and temporary things that will not and cannot give them light or sight. Only You can deliver them from darkness — which is my constant prayer. 


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Light only for the next step

Earlier this week my husband and I made a major decision. I felt that we needed a third opinion and asked our son to give it. At first, he was uncertain what to say, then he began to question my motives for this decision.

Those questions irked me, making me aware once again how people do not like to think about motives. However, he was on the right track. The outcome is that my husband made the decision because he thought it would be best for me and I made it because I thought it would be best for him. But at heart, it was not something either of us wanted for ourselves.

This reminds me of the tale about a woman who sold her hair to buy her husband a gold watch chain, and he sold his watch to buy her a tortoise hair comb. Of course the expression of selfless love is poignant, but I’m thinking that better communication would have made this story, and ours, have a more practical result.

At least in our case, the decision is reversible. We can change it, yet that poses a bigger uncertainty. I’m quite happy that we cancel out, but hubby still wants to do it for my sake, not because I’m wanting it but because he thinks it would be best for me. What do I do with that? This morning’s devotional reading takes me to a prayer . . . 

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:1–2)

The “faint” heart is translated in other versions as “overwhelmed” — which describes my emotions about this current situation. I sense God bidding me to come close and talk to Him about it. At the same time, I’d like some direction in plain, black and white words from the Bible. I want to know what to do.

In looking for a solution, another devotional reading catches my eye. This one offers this verse . . . 

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. (John 13:13)

The author of this reading says that the terms “teacher” and “Lord” both imply that Jesus Christ knows more than I do. Of course that is true. When I call out to Him, I can be certain that He knows what I do not know. Whatever He tells me will be based on a wisdom that my eyes may or may not see. That is, obedience is usually a plain “do this because . . .” but sometimes it is only a “do this” without explanation. I’m to walk by faith, not by sight.

God also knows the future. Whatever is best for me, or for my husband, cannot be decided by what life is like right now or by what we think might happen later. Going to the Lord means that we want our choices based on the wisdom of One who is “higher than” ourselves and higher than our abilities to understand or guess what lies ahead.

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God, I’m so impatient. I’d like to know for sure, have a black and white plan that lays out each step. Yet I also know You do not lead me that way. You give me “the next step” and expect me to walk into that bit of light before You give me direction for the next step after it.

I am thankful that my husband will make sacrifices to care for me. I’m also thankful that You give me the willingness to make sacrifices for him. Now You seem to be asking me to do something a bit different; to yield to what I don’t really want (or think I don’t want) just so he can willingly make the sacrifice to give it to me. Sigh. Only the Rock who is higher than both of us can make sense of this one.

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Light changes everything

This morning’s newspaper had a letter to the editor protesting the Christian stance against a particle activity that the Bible calls sin. This person said that Christians were warped because we agree that bullying is wrong, but then call this other behavior (which is okay in her mind) a sin.

The letter didn’t indicate what criteria or standard was used to measure right and wrong. It could have been a simple determination to do whatever she wanted, but it seemed more like “everyone can choose their own behavior as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

One problem with that standard is that most of us cannot see very far into the future. We don’t know if what we do will hurt others, even if it seems okay at the time. When I was young and not a follower of Christ, I did whatever I wished. When I wanted out of my marriage, I had no idea how much a divorce would affect my children and my children’s children. They say hindsight is 20/20, but even with more information and education available today regarding the effects of divorce, has it made any difference?

In other words, knowing whether or not actions will hurt someone else may not stop people from doing whatever they want to do anyway. For some, consequences to themselves may not deter their choices. For instance, did the rioters in Vancouver, Canada last night know they would be arrested and put in jail? Even if they did, it didn’t stop them from doing what they knew was wrong.

Measuring right and wrong by what feels good, or what seems right, is a poor measurement also. Not only is human decision-making ability marred by short-sightedness and being in the dark regarding the full ramifications of our actions, it is also marred by selfishness and by a fear of what others will think. Anyone who is Christian finds that taking a stand against sin is increasingly “politically incorrect.” We need to remember who our standard is and where it is clearly spelled out for us.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

The Lord is our light. He sheds light on the options before us, and if He does not show us all there is to know regarding consequences, He still gives us clear direction on what we must avoid and what we should do. For instance, we know that bullying is wrong because the Bible is clear that we are to love one another, even love our enemies. Bullying is totally incompatible with love.

He also sheds light on other behavior, telling us what is right and wrong. Regardless of what the world might think, those actions that God forbids are harmful to others and a deviation from His plan in creating us. We are made in His image and given the capacity to glorify Him. All disobedience is a denial of that lofty purpose. If our disobedience hurts no one else (unlikely), it still mars our own lives, spoiling what we could be if we would listen to Him. Sin always hurts someone.

This does not mean Christians are perfect. I can be selfish and get on the wrong track too. I sometimes have problems obeying God because I can flip into selfishness and become shortsighted. But I do not have any excuses. He is my light and my salvation. I know better and He saves me that I might do better.

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Lord, when someone criticizes Your people for taking a stand against sin, I feel great sorrow. You have taught me so much about the folly of sin and how I hurt myself and others when I live selfishly. Defying You does not change who You are, but it does put a big barrier between You and anyone who sins. That barrier hurts those on the other side of it. I know this because You have shown me the horror and pain of my own darkness and rebellion.

But You have also shown me the wonder and delight of living without that darkness — walking in Your light and enjoying Your salvation. May You be light today to those who need light. Keep Your people in Your care and help us to not fear the critics who have not yet experienced Your light and salvation.

To Live is Christ — no pity parties

The most annoying thing about a pity-party is when I’m having one, I cannot go to sleep. Actually, this turns out a good thing. It forces me to take another look at alternatives for feeling sorry for myself.

Another good thing is God’s timing on these verses as part of my devotional reading. This week’s dental appointment had me angry and not wanting to ever see another dentist. It was partly about having to get teeth fixed again after they had already been fixed, but more about the runaround they gave me and being treated like a “case” instead of a person. My reaction was a little like my sister’s line in a grade school skit, “Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. I’m going out into the garden to eat worms.”

Nevertheless, God kept whispering these verses in my ear, and because I know them so well, and know they are true, I could not help but listen.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:28–29)

I was still complaining. Okay God, how is this situation supposed to make me like Jesus? I don’t get it. What are You trying to tell me or show me?

My first positive thought was that Jesus was also treated unfairly. Maybe I was simply going through this so I could identify with His suffering? This was a goal for Paul, so maybe for me too? The Bible says that Paul considered all the “good stuff” in his life as rubbish, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10).

Paul knew the value of dying to self, and he also knew that when he did, he would know Jesus in a deeper way, both His power and His suffering. Was that what I needed to learn?

The next ideas that came to mind were a total surprise and obviously from the Holy Spirit. They were two passages of Scripture that instantly brought an end to my party. The first was a prophecy about Jesus:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)

This verse was God’s polite way of saying, “Shut up.” I did. Then He gave me this one from the New Testament:

For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:20–23).

Jesus may not have needed a dentist, but His Father sent Him to a far worse fate — and He didn’t protest. God had a purpose for what happened to Him and the Son trusted His Father.

I got it. The daughter needs to trust her Father too, even with dentists. As soon as I said, “Yes” my anger and anguish were replaced by a deep, incredible joy and peace that only God can give.

With that, I fell sound asleep.

I am known . . .

At a writer’s conference in Grand Rapids, MI, author Walter Wangerin Jr. described standing on a cliff in Alaska as an eagle flew near him. At that moment, the eagle turned and looked him straight in the eye. He described the sense of connection, almost as if the eagle knew him, and as our goose bumps rose, he went on to describe the importance of knowing that we are known, that someone knows and understands us, and that God who loves us also looks at us with the eye of an eagle.

I’ve had that same “I am known” experience reading Gabor Maté’s book, Scattered Minds and realizing that he was writing about me. He described things I’d never articulated or even understood until he put my inner life into words. I felt released, unburdened, and relieved to realize that someone knew about my mental struggles with attention deficit issues.

Yet God does this for me all the time, almost every day for every part of my life. When I read His Word, He speaks to me and tells me things about myself, many of which I would never otherwise know. The Bible describes itself as having this ability:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

One of Job’s comforters, Elihu, knew this was true. He said, “For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves” (Job 34:21-22).

The average person who does not know God through faith in Jesus Christ is unaware of this. They do not realize that God’s eyes see right through all pretense to examine every motive and desire. Because they don’t know about the eye of the Eagle, they assume that outward performance will suffice. That is, if they “live a good life” they will pass muster on judgment day. Worse, they go through life not knowing the God who understands them totally.

Christians know better. We know that God isn’t interested in what we do on the outside as much as He cares about the heart. In His mind, if a “good” deed is motivated by selfish interest, it is a bad deed. Yet more than that, we know that God knows us. This is a precious thing, and the reason why the psalmist wrote:

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:1-6)

This is also why Paul called himself the worst of sinners. On the outside, he may have looked like a good man, and he certainly appeared to be the finest example of a Christian after he met Jesus, yet he knew his own heart. God’s light had opened his eyes and he could see his own heart the way God saw it.

My devotional reading today says that when a Christian is so enlightened and carries this inner conviction that the eye of God reads every thought, then every inward twinge of pride and self-righteousness, every rebellion and discontent, all peevishness and fretfulness, all lust and wantonness. The eye of God not only reads and marks it all, but also condemns it all by His righteous law, and because He is so pure, hates and abhors it all.

Christians, above all people, know that we are sinners before God. We know that our sin is deeper and worse than anyone else can see or know. We are aware that even though others may have sinned more deeply and grossly regarding outward acts, no one could have sinned inwardly more disgustingly and continually than we have sinned. Because of this, we hate our sin as God hates it.

Job came to this conclusion too. At the end of his great trial, he met with God and his eyes were opened by the eye of the Eagle. He then said, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

When God turns on His light, I can see Him, but I can also see myself. As bad as that often is, I prefer the Light and His eyes. I want to be known and I want Him to know me. I never want to be in darkness again.

The blind shall see . . .

Even though my eye doctor says my eyes are healthy and I don’t need new glasses, my vision is sometimes fuzzy. Floaters, fatigue and blurry eyes frighten me because I use them so much. However, even if I could not see at all, I know that spiritual blindness is worse than physical blindness. People without eyes at least know that they cannot see.

From age thirteen to twenty-nine, I read the Bible daily without understanding one word. Oh, I knew what the words themselves meant, like ‘kingdom’ and ‘faith’ but had no idea what God was saying in this book that my mother also read every day. Scripture didn’t make sense and had no impact on my life. I did whatever I thought I should, with no understanding of the ways of God or any inclination to obey Him. How can anyone obey gibberish?

Now I know that I was blind as the proverbial bat, without even a bat’s radar that keeps it from running into things. Not only that, I had no clue about the problem of spiritual blindness or that it was my problem.

I will never forget the day that the lights came on. I was sitting in my living room reading a book about reincarnation. I’d been looking for the answer to a question: What happens to the energy of my life when I die? My father told me energy is not created or destroyed, just changed to a different form. Was this true? If it was, was reincarnation the answer?

That day, in that book, I found a verse from the Bible. I can’t remember which verse it was, perhaps a verse I’d read before, but it was God’s light switch. It seemed the room was suddenly flooded with light. In one glorious moment, I understood that Jesus was God in the flesh and that He came to die for my sin and to forgive me. God “commanded light to shine out of darkness” and shone that light in my heart “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Walking in the light is vastly different from going through life with my eyes shut. From that day, I began to see new paths and realized that my old ways were bent and twisted. God showed me how to get through the maze and walk with awareness. He did exactly what He promised in Isaiah 42:16:

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.

When I read this verse today, I rejoice in the past power and faithfulness of God. He saw my blindness and how unaware I was of the spiritual world around me. He opened my eyes and let me see, then took my hand to help me walk a new way. I still make mistakes because I let go of His hand, but these are never His fault. He is true to His Word.

I also rejoice in the promise in this verse for the future. As I get older, more forgetful, less steady on my feet and less sure of my ability to make my way, He says that He will guide me just as He has already done, and that He will never forsake me. Psalm 73:26 says, “My heart and my flesh (and even my eyes) may fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

This is a good way to start the day—remembering the great goodness of God in my past experience and knowing that He will keep on caring for me in my future.