SIGHT FOR THE BLIND

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 03 January 2013

Hi all,

For those of us who have lived our lives being able to see, blindness is a frightful prospect. For most of us, when we turn off the light to go to sleep, the darkness seems impenetrable. About ten minutes later, when our eyes have adjusted to the darkness, we realise that it’s not quite as dark as we thought! To be born blind is another matter. The man Jesus healed in Luke 18 was such a man. Whether he was totally blind or severely partially sighted is not certain. Not that it matters. He received his sight. This was not blind Bartimaeus. This man was healed while Jesus was on His way to Jericho. Bartimaeus received a reconstructive healing when Jesus was leaving Jericho. Matthew 20 contains the story of two other blind men whom Jesus healed. Were there others? There may well have been. These four are sufficient evidence for me to believe that Jesus Christ could restore sight to blind eyes. It’s today’s meditation.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 03 January 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Sight for the blind
Miracles: There was a time when men and women believed that the miracles of Jesus actually took place. This is not true today. Rationalism has made significant inroads into the faith of many. They have discarded miracles on the basis that the laws of nature cannot be overridden. Rationalists, if they have any connection with Christianity, deal with miracles in a convenient manner. They believe in God. However they have a different view of creation. They see it something like a huge clock that has been designed by God. He “wound” it up and set it in motion. Now it is running and even God can’t change it. Therefore the miraculous is impossible. This “type” of believer is classified as a “Deist”. God exists but He can no longer do anything about what He has designed. Believers of this sort would never pray and ask God to change anything because He cannot. Don’t ask Him to change the weather because He no longer is able to do so. One wonders exactly what such people pray for? They are one step “higher” than “Atheists”. An “Atheist” states that there is no such “person”. God is an illusion. A crutch for religious men and women to lean on. Phyllida and I are “Theists”. We believe God is active in this world. He can and will change situations as He wills. As a Theist, I have no difficulty believing the miracles of the Bible are true. He is able to change anything He wishes. Furthermore He responds to the prayers of His people. We believe He always answers prayer. The answers are “Yes”; “No” or “Wait”! If I’ve missed out any other answer, please let me know. We see Jesus in action this way in Luke 18:41. The blind man called out to Him. Jesus asked him what he wanted. The man told Him. Jesus answered by healing him. These steps are important. We cry out to God for some reason. He knows very well the details of the problem. But He wants us to tell Him. He could act without us, but He has chosen to include us in this way. Having heard us, He decides what He is going to answer. He may say “No”! This happens when someone dies in spite of what we would regard as “oceans” of prayer. He could say “Yes”! And we could have an instant miracle. He may say, “Wait”! This may be to achieve some purpose we know nothing about. Perhaps the timing isn’t right? I’m sure those who were taken captive by the Babylonians would have prayed for deliverance. Likewise the slaves in Egypt must have prayed on many occasions for deliverance from their oppressors. Deliverance would come. However, many would die before it happened. Why? If I could answer that, I would be God. Thank God I’m not! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			41 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked. "Lord, I want to be able to see," the blind man replied. Luke 18:41 NIrV 18 Open my eyes so that I can see the wonderful truths in your law. Psalm 119:18 NIrV 44 Jesus said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything written about me must happen. Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must come true." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures Luke 24:44-45 NIrV 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative--that is, the Holy Spirit--He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26 NLT 17 Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. James 1:17 MSG 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called--His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance. 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honour at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Eph. 1:17-20 NLT	What is it you are wanting the Lord to do for you? The blind man wanted vision, to see the way we do. It seems he had been blind from birth, so couldn’t comprehend, The things that he would look at, when his blindness reached its end. But Jesus had compassion and told him he could see. His faith had made the difference from the way he used to be. And when the Saviour left him, he followed on behind, Praising God for giving sight to someone who was blind. This story is recorded in the gospel of Saint Luke. There in chapter eighteen we see it was no fluke. For Jesus was in “business” to give the people sight, When all that they had ever seen was never-ending night! But Jesus also shed His light on what is in His Word. And He will end our darkness, by the words that we have heard. He opens up our minds so that each one of us can see, The Scriptures that were written for the likes of you and me. The Lord God has been doing this for some two thousand years. He’s brought His understanding to mollify our fears. His Word is never changing, so what He did back then, Is what He’s made available for ordinary men. Now Jesus has ascended and sent the paraclete; His precious Holy Spirit so that Satan can be beat. He said that He would do it and so it’s guaranteed, That everything He did back then still could be done indeed. His brother James has told us, that all gifts from above, Come down to us from heaven, from the God of light and love. His gifts are not deceitful when they’re cascading down. They’re not two-faced or fickle; the very best in town. So if we ask the Father for wisdom and insight, He will not disappoint us and we’ll receive His light! We’ll grow in Godly knowledge. He’ll flood our hearts with hope, To better understand all things and show us how to cope. We’ll be His Holy People and know His mighty power. Our glorious inheritance, that’s bigger every hour. Then, as we honour Jesus, His Spirit will ensure, That while all of our motives are good and clean and pure, Our eyes indeed He’ll open, so that we all can see, Far better than that blind man He healed in Galilee. Jim Strickland  Written Wednesday  3rd Jan 2012