“When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.” (Mark 8:22-26)
Have you ever seen or heard of a photo mosaic? It’s a really large image made up of many, many smaller pictures. I always thought they were really cool, because each individual picture has a story of its own, but when you take a few steps back and look at the entire masterpiece, it is really something else.
God is in control. Always. He has a reason for everything, though it may not be (immediately, or ever) revealed to us. In this passage, I find it noteworthy that Jesus decided to heal the man’s sight in two steps (instead of immediate complete healing).
For one thing, Jesus’ simple question (“Do you see anything?”) is a chance for Him to test and challenge the man’s faith. Is the man bold enough to honestly answer Jesus and tell Him that he only sees “trees walking around?” Is the man’s faith great enough to trust that Jesus has the power of complete healing? (How would you respond?)
Also, I think that Jesus’ two-step healing of the man’s sight is representative of a situation we often find ourselves in. Many times, we think we see the whole picture. We think that we know everything that is going on. However, we sometimes find that what we are looking at is just one little frame in the huge mosaic masterpiece. Our vision is equivalent to seeing people as trees walking around. We think we see it all, but God has so, so much more in store. He has so much more that He wants to show us. Ask Him to reveal more of His desire and His heart to you today.
“Sometimes God lets you be in a situation that only He can fix so that you can see that He is the One who fixes it. Rest. He’s got it.”
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, fully open my eyes to your current condition–physical, spiritual, emotional, mental during this quiet time in Your presence. With this new sight and new life that You Lord have given to me, I ask you to give me eyes like yours, that you may see You at work everywhere, both on the micro and macro scale. When I feel like all I can see is vague shapes of you presence, I ask earnestly and boldly that You will reveal to me not only the bigger picture, but how my work can further Your kingdom. I love you Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Rob Lavallee
Scriptural Seeds Ministries