It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”
John 9:3 NLT
I thought something was seriously wrong—I mean my husband knows better than to shake me awake once I am already asleep!
It had been a trying few months. Money had been tight, expenses had been many, and it just seemed like one thing after another. My husband had just come home from yet another late night of work, and was now saying, “It’s not an emergency, maybe I should just have let you sleep but I can’t believe this!”
“Huh?”
“Someone put an envelope of money into our mailbox!”
That woke me up! “What? How much??”
Sure enough, there was a bank envelope of $700 in cash in my husband’s hand—and less you think it somehow got in there by accident—our names were written on it. I had heard of money from heaven falling into the laps of other people but I had never before been the recipient!
Two weeks later my husband pulled out a pair of shorts that he hadn’t worn in years. We were going biking and right before we got out of the car my husband reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. “Here,” he said, handing it to me.
“What’s this?”
“I don’t know, it was in my pocket so put it somewhere safe.” That wad consisted of $250.
We are not careless with our money—we keep very close track of it and are very intentional with it. The fact that $250 had escaped our notice is a miracle in and of itself—finding the money when we did is just God’s divine timing.
So many times God gets blamed for all the bad stuff—Why did He allow it to happen? When we find ourselves in a tough season, God must be teaching us something. But what about the good times? Are we responsible for those or is that God too?
Sometimes God allows bad things to happen, sometimes He brings good that makes up for the bad. Sometimes bad things happen and we will never know why on this side of eternity. Sometimes God allows good things to happen just because He loves us and He wants us to be happy.
In John 2, we hear the story of the blind man. Jesus and His disciples were walking along and they came across a man who had been blind since birth. “Teacher,” his disciples say, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his sins or that of his parents?”
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins. This happened so that the power of God could be seen in him.”
So the power of God could be seen in him. So that God could be glorified. That this man could experience Jesus in a way very few people ever will.
And sometimes it’s just that simple. Sometimes bad things are allowed to happen so that the power of God can be seen. And sometimes He allows good things to happen for just that same reason. The question is when these good and bad times happen, will we allow it to draw us closer to God?
Many people walk away from their faith during very trying seasons, but just as many, if not more, drift away during the good seasons of blessings. “In your plenty do not forget the Lord Your God.” Deuteronomy 8:11
What season are you in? One of plenty, or one of deserts and famine? Both of these seasons can be used to glorify God, respond in such a way, that no matter the season God’s power can be seen in you.
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