Originally published Wednesday, 21 September 2016.
I've been praying lately, to be rid of this flesh-eating bacteria. I know, trust me, I know, it sounds weird. And, I guess you wouldn't even call it a "flesh-eating bacteria," because it is more like "soul-eating bacteria." Or maybe a "peace-eating bacteria". A "night-time sleep-ruining bacteria.
It chases at my heels telling me I should settle tomorrow's emotions rather than claiming right now's peace. You too?
Worry.
It smothers hope; making you desire fix-it dope to feel better.
It exchanges the peace of God for fear of _____.
It stunts the muscles God plans to grow during trials.
It debilitates peace.
It corrodes holy.
It eats joy, causing doubt.
This is why I pray so often, "God, I don't want to worry. I don't want to continuously think about people or problems one day longer."
Because these things blind me.
..Some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” Mark 8:22-23
Do you see anything when you worry?
Where does worry incline your eyes?
He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Mark 8:24
People like trees? Jesus, the miracle-maker, the Prince of Peace, the great physician left this man seeing - trees? Did the greatest healer - fail? What kind of jacked-up miracle was this?
Let's consider this deeper...
When the blind man opened his eyes, following Jesus' touch, "He looked up and said, 'I see people.'"
Notice: The blind man did not focus on the Man with Power, but the people with none.
The very God before him - he did not see.
But, he what did see was - his issue.
Where do your eyes head 10-minutes after you get with God?
To people? Problems? Predicaments?
Sometimes our focus prevents us from seeing - and receiving - God's greatest work. Like a stray lover, we look at everyone but our first love; we miss his best intentions towards us. We can't see, because we are too busy looking elsewhere. We become infected with the virus of looking-at-man, looking-at-issues or looking-at-distractions. We partially see God, but we mostly do not.
If we focus on people over the person of Jesus, we'll never see progress. But, if we focus on the person of Jesus, before the face of our problems, we will face peace.
When we:
1. Wake and seek Jesus as our first thought, our day often is established.
2. Pray and expect God to answer, we get excited to see.
3. Look in order to find God we, many times, do.
4. Ask to see the Lord's handiwork it becomes more obvious.
5. Hope and request to feel his love, it circles.
6. When we believe that God can do the unthinkable, we perceive God can do the unthinkable.
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mark 8:25
I don't believe this man could see because hands were - on his eyes,
but because Jesus was entirely - in his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, the second time, unlike the first time, he didn't see problem people, but Jesus, all Jesus, the full-force of Jesus in power and glory, standing right before him. You simply cannot come face-to-face with Jesus - you simply cannot let him into your heart - without something miraculous happening.
This man? With the radiant power of Jesus before him, all he could do - was see. For, Jesus, the man known to have eyes like torches (Dan. 10:5-6) opened his vision to a whole new path. A path to recovery.
He saw everything clearly. Mark 8:25
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