You Are Called

His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents," said Jesus, "but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:2-3

Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Psalm 84:4-7

God gave me the beginnings of a revelation today that I hope I can put into words. Did you notice that the man was born blind. It wasn't his fault or the fault of anyone else. It wasn't a generational curse or because of wrong choices on anyone else's part. His blindness had a purpose. It was so that the work of God could be displayed in his life. I want you to also notice that when Jesus came to this earth lots of horrid things happened to him. This wasn't because he messed up. He didn't live in a mansion and have servants so that he could just play. He was poor and eventually even homeless. He went through all of that so that the work of God could be displayed. There is one more element. His life was an intercession for the world. His life was a prayer for us. He went through it so that we could have intimacy with God, be healed, delivered from sin and death.

Our lives are filled with circumstances that are not of our choosing. We have issues in our lives that we can't get rid of. If you are like me your focus has been to get well and to be set free. If you are like me you have felt guilty because you just couldn't get free. You felt like a failure. Was the blind man a failure? Was Jesus a failure? What God seems to be saying to me is that he literally calls us into these difficult things so that his name can be glorified and so that our lives can be an intercession for others in the same circumstances. He is asking us to look up and trust in him. He is wanting to do a great work in and through our lives. We are the body of Christ. He said that we will do even greater things than he did. We share in his sufferings and as a result share in the redemptive work. Quit blaming yourself or others for who you are. Put your hope in God. You will not make a difference in the world in spite of your circumstances. You will make a difference because of them. You are not a failure or disappointment to God. He is proud to call you his own. I quoted part of Psalm 84 again because it makes this exact point. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make a place of springs. If you could look behind you right now, you would see that everywhere you have been has been made better because you were there. Springs have been created so that others can drink of them and be refreshed and healed. Shine little light. You are a joy and a blessing.