One thing used to puzzle me very much about the children of Israel. They saw the miracles Moses performed. They witnessed the ten plagues that destroyed crops, animals, and firstborn sons and yet never touched any of them in the land of Goshen. They stood at the Red Sea and watched the waters part, and later looked back to see the Egyptians drown. They experienced miracle after miracle for 40 years.
I used to ask: Why didn't they believe? They personally watched signs and miracles take place, but they remained unbelievers. One day as I discussed this passage with a small group of believers, the answer became obvious. We don't understand God through natural eyes or human reasoning. We understand God only when we're aided by the Holy Spirit. Those Israelites in the wilderness saw miracles, but they never experienced God. They saw the miracles at work, but they never grasped God Himself.
Paul’s message found in I Corinthians 2:7-10 tells us that God has prepared us - those who believe and obey - spiritual realities through the Holy Spirit. As long as we look only at events and facts but see nothing behind them, we don't have the right eyes to see the Lord at work.
That's where Satan works best. He tries to keep us blind so that we don't recognize the Spirit of God at work. For example, in a worship service, someone prays for a woman who is in great pain and she's healed. Those with eyes to see immediately praise the Lord. Those who are still held by the devil's cunning lies say, "Oh, it was all psychosomatic. There was nothing really wrong with her."
I learned long ago that it does little good to argue with the spiritually blind and try to convince them to see God at work. Until the Holy Spirit enlightens them, they can never grasp the power of God at work in human lives. Only those who have been enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit can truly grasp spiritual realities. To those who love Him and believe, God reveals spiritual truths. He assures those who have understanding that the Holy Spirit is at work.
My prayer is that God will continue to enlighten me in every way. That He will enable me to see Him in every area of my life and so that I can continually rejoice in His presence. I wish that for each of you too.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
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In Matthew it says that those with a pure heart shall see God. I pray that my heart would be pure to see Him at work in my life and in the lives of those around me.
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