Do adversities serve any useful purpose?

Jesus heals the blind man










I was reading the account of Jesus healing the blind man in the Gospel of John last night. I think I have read this wonderful account hundreds of times. It is such a neat account; and contains such rich life lessons. But something hit me last night that I wanted to share.

In John chapter 9 we find this story. I'll just quote for you the first three verses, which is what I wanted to share today:

As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."

On Sunday night we had a fantastic Christian music concert at our church. The Akins not only gave a tremendous musical concert to a packed church but served up rich imagery of God's grace, providence, and glory through relating their life stories. These life stories told of dramatic and stirring encounters with God's infinite glory and grace. I listened, prayed, laughed, and cried as I contemplated the music and story telling.

But these weren't just make believe stories, they were real life experiences.You see, if you read about the blind man being healed and him coming to know who it was that healed him, you can begin to understand where and how the Akins have come to revere, love, and fearlessly serve Jesus Christ. Because a true encounter with the infinite Creator can not be faked nor can an encounter with the Savior of mankind be hidden from others. You are driven to tell others about Him, as the blind man did, and as the Akins are doing today.

However, there is another thought I wanted to share about the bible passage above. The prevailing thought in biblical times was that if you had a disease or illness, then God was punishing you. You can see this in the question that Jesus' disciples asked him, concerning the blind man. What an amazing answer Jesus gave to them. He basically told them that he was not blind because of his sin or his parent's sin, but because God was going to be glorified by his being healed. Do you know what that means? It means that God (Jesus) knew before hand that this blind man would be there at that time and that by healing him, God would be revealed and glorified. Additionally, the rest of the John chapter 9 account goes on to recount how the blind man became a great witness of the power of God before the Jewish rulers! His healing by the power of God through Jesus Christ was authentic and undeniable.

The power of God seen and heard through the Akins is authentic and undeniable for the same reason. You see, the Akins have been through a lot of adversity. If you read their story you might catch a glimpse of this. But, God has brought them through it all. Why? Well, for one reason (among others), so that when you go to their concert you will experience this awe and wonder of Jesus Christ for yourself, from those that have experienced it first hand.

You know, sometimes we get ourselves into a mess because of disobedience, and we later understand that we had a lot to do with our adversities. But, many times these bad things just seem to come out of nowhere. The good news is that God can use ALL of them to teach us eternal lessons and to glorify His name, especially if we submit to His will.

In closing, my thought is that the answer Jesus gave to the disciples concerning the adversities of the blind man, might be the same answer he would give to you or me today, concerning do adversities serve any useful purpose: "..but this happened that the works of God might be displayed in him." In the present day vernacular, Jesus might say to you and me- "I've got this under control _(insert your name)_, have faith and just watch what I'm about to do".

Have a blessed day,
George