As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. (John 9:1-3)
Sometimes bad things happen in life, and we wonder if God is punishing us. But there are two truths we must always keep in mind.
First, while our sin can cause us all kinds of suffering and pain, sometimes our suffering comes simply from the fact that we live in a broken world filled with broken people.
And our suffering is a reminder to us that this world is not our home. We are just passing through, looking for a better country, a heavenly one. (Hebrews 11:16)
But second, God sometimes allows our suffering so that his marvelous works might be seen in us.
If that’s going to happen, though, we need to do the two things this blind man did: put our faith in Jesus and obey him. (John 9:7, 37-38)
What trials and struggles are you going through now? Will you fall down and worship him, trusting that he is still good? That he loves you? That he wants your best?
And will you obey him?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 