When God’s Purpose Feels Hidden
Devotions this week are based on Week 5 Temptation to Triumph: Tears: Hope for the Hurting (WATCH HERE)
John 11:17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
As the story of Lazarus unfolds, the confusion deepens into grief. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. Whatever hope Mary and Martha held for healing has passed. What remains is loss.
Jesus had already said that this situation was for God’s glory, but no one else could see that yet. From their perspective, it simply looked like tragedy. This is often where we live. We hear truths about God’s goodness, but our circumstances seem to tell a different story.
Isaiah 55 reminds us that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
This does not mean they are distant, but that they are greater. God sees what we cannot. He is working in ways that are often hidden in the moment but revealed over time.
Martha’s words to Jesus reveal both faith and struggle. She believes Jesus could have done something, yet she cannot see what He is doing now. This tension is familiar. We believe God is able, but we struggle to see His purpose when things do not unfold as we expected.
Romans 8:28 assures us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him. This does not mean all things are good, but that God is able to bring good through them. Even in grief, God is at work shaping something eternal.
Jesus today invites us to trust God’s purpose even when it is hidden. This does not remove the pain, but it reframes it. Instead of asking only why this is happening, we begin to ask how God might be working through it. We look for glimpses of His faithfulness and hold onto His promises.
Martha held on to the promise that her brother would rise on the last day. She trusted Jesus would do what was best. She, in that moment, didn’t know how Jesus would, but leaned into the truth that even in the death of her brother, she was truly loved. The same is true for your today.
Reflect: Where do you feel like God’s purpose is hidden in your current situation? What promises of God can you hold onto when you cannot see what He is doing?
Prayer: Father, I struggle when I cannot see Your purpose. Help me to trust that You are working even when it feels hidden. Give me faith to believe that You are good and that You are shaping something beyond what I can see. Help me to rest in Your greater plan. Amen.
Tears Confuse Us
Devotions this week are based on Week 5 Temptation to Triumph: Tears: Hope for the Hurting (WATCH HERE)
John 11:1-6 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was the same Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair.
3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick!”
4 When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not going to result in death, but it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed in the place where he was two more days.
There are moments in life when things simply do not make sense. In John 11, the story begins with urgency. Lazarus is sick, and his sisters send word to Jesus with a simple expectation. Surely He will come. Surely, He will act. Yet the response of Jesus is unexpected. He delays. The one who has the power to heal chooses to wait.
This delay is not because of indifference. The text is clear that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. His love is not in question, but His timing is. This is where tears begin to confuse us. We struggle when what we know about God does not seem to match what we are experiencing. If He loves us, why does He wait? If He cares, why does He not act sooner?
Psalm 27:14 encourages us. “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord!”
Waiting is not passive. It is an active trust that God is doing something even when we cannot see it. Jesus reveals in this moment that His delay is purposeful. He says that this situation is for God’s glory. Again Jesus is going to take what looks like a setback to actually be a setup for something greater.
In our lives, confusion often becomes the doorway to deeper faith. When we cannot rely on our understanding, we are invited to rely on God’s character and promises. We begin to trust not because we see clearly, but because we know who He is.
It’s OK. If you are confused with what God is doing, bring your confusion to God. Do not pretend to understand what you do not. Trust grows when we admit our limits and lean into His wisdom. Look back over your life and remember moments when God’s timing seemed off but later proved right. Let those memories anchor your present uncertainty.
Tears may confuse us, but they are not wasted. They are often the setting in which God desires for us to see clearly his love, rest firmly in his grace and begin a deeper trust that would not grow any other way.
Reflect: Where are you struggling to understand God’s timing in your life right now? How might God be inviting you to trust Him even without clarity?
Prayer: Lord, I confess that I do not always understand what You are doing. Your timing often feels confusing to me. Help me to wait with faith and not fear. Strengthen my heart to trust You even when I cannot see the outcome. Teach me to rest in Your wisdom and love. Amen.
Jesus Opens the Eyes of the Blind to See Him as Savior!
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 Temptation to Triumph: Truth From Blindness to Belief (WATCH HERE)
John 9:35–41 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
After the confrontation with the Pharisees, the healed man is expelled from the synagogue. The leaders reject him because he refuses to deny the miracle and discredit Jesus. Yet the story does not end in rejection. When Jesus hears what has happened, He seeks the man out and finds him.
This moment reveals the heart of Christ. When others cast the man aside, Jesus comes near. The One who gave him physical sight now leads him toward spiritual sight.
Jesus asks him a question that invites faith. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man responds with humility and openness. “Who is he, sir?” he asks. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus then reveals the truth. “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” In that moment the man understands who Jesus truly is. His response is simple and profound. “Lord, I believe.” Then he worships Him.
The journey of this man has moved from darkness to light in every sense. He began the day unable to see the world around him. By the end of the story, he not only sees physically but also recognizes Jesus as his Savior.
Unfortunately the Pharisees remain spiritually blind. They have knowledge, influence, and religious authority, yet they refuse to recognize the truth standing before them. Jesus points this out as he says that He has come so that the blind will see and those who think they see will become blind.
Spiritual sight begins with the grace of God and the humility to receive it. Psalm 146:8 says that the Lord gives sight to the blind. When we acknowledge our need and turn to Him in faith, He opens our eyes to the truth of who He is.
Jesus is the TRUE Light of the World…your world!
Reflect: Where might pride or self-reliance be keeping you from seeing Christ clearly? How can you respond to Jesus today with renewed faith and worship?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for seeking us when we are lost and opening our eyes to the truth. Help me to recognize You clearly and respond with faith and worship. Keep my heart humble and attentive so that I may always see Your presence and follow You faithfully. Amen.
The Evidence is Obvious!
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 Temptation to Triumph: Truth From Blindness to Belief (WATCH HERE)
John 9:24–34 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
As the Pharisees continue questioning the healed man, they try to discredit Jesus. They insist that Jesus must be a sinner and demand that the man agree with their conclusion. Yet the man answers with remarkable clarity and courage.
“Whether he is a sinner or not, I do not know,” he says. “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.”
His testimony is simple, but it is powerful. He cannot answer every theological argument, yet he cannot deny what Jesus has done in his life. The transformation he experienced becomes undeniable evidence of God’s work.
Throughout Scripture, personal testimony plays a powerful role in revealing God’s truth. When Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, she returns to her village and tells others about Him. John 4:39 says that many believed in Jesus because of her testimony. The apostles later proclaim the gospel with similar confidence. When commanded to stop speaking about Christ, they respond, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” in Acts 4:20.
A changed life speaks loudly in a skeptical world. Arguments may be debated, but transformation is difficult to dismiss. When someone sees the evidence of God’s grace in a person’s character, priorities, and hope, it points beyond human effort to the power of God.
Every believer has a story of how God has worked in their life. Some stories include dramatic turning points, while others involve gradual growth in faith. Both reveal the same truth that God is at work.
Sharing our story does not require perfect knowledge. It requires honesty about what Christ has done for us. Take time today to consider, “How has God worked in my life?” Be prepared to share your story…God’s story with someone!
Reflect: How has Jesus changed your life in ways that you could share with others? Who might need to hear your story of faith this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the ways You have worked in my life. Help me to remember the difference You have made and give me courage to share that story with others. Use my testimony to point people toward Your grace and truth so that they too may come to know You. Amen.
Blinded to the Miracle!
Devotions this week are based on Week 4 Temptation to Triumph: Truth From Blindness to Belief (WATCH HERE)
John 9:13–17 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
17 Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
After the blind man receives his sight, the story takes an unexpected turn. Instead of celebrating the miracle, the religious leaders begin investigating it. They bring the man before the Pharisees and question him about how he was healed. The problem, in their minds, is not whether a miracle happened but when it happened. Jesus performed this healing on the Sabbath, and according to their interpretation of the law, that meant He had broken the rules.
The tragedy of this moment is striking. A man who had never seen light, color, or faces now experiences the world for the first time. Yet the religious leaders are more concerned about technical violations than about the transformation that has taken place. Their commitment to rules blinds them to the work of God unfolding before their eyes.
Jesus had often warned about this kind of spiritual blindness. In Matthew 15:8 He quotes the prophet Isaiah and says, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Outward religion can exist without inward faith. In another moment He rebukes the teachers of the law for focusing on small religious details while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).
The Pharisees represent a danger that can affect any believer. When faith becomes merely a system of rules, it loses sight of the living God behind those commands. Rules are meant to guide us toward God’s heart, not replace a relationship with Him.
Meanwhile, the healed man’s understanding of Jesus is growing. When asked who healed him, he simply says, “He is a prophet.” He does not yet know the full truth about Jesus, but he recognizes that God is at work.
Spiritual sight often develops gradually. Faith grows through experience, reflection, and encounter with God. Proverbs 4:18 describes the path of the righteous as “like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.”
The question for us is not merely whether we know religious truths but whether we recognize God actively working in our lives and around us. True faith keeps the heart attentive to the living presence of God.
Reflect: Is there any way routine or tradition might prevent you from recognizing God’s work in your life? How can you remain open to the ways God may be moving around you today?
Prayer: Lord, guard my heart from the blindness that comes from empty religion. Help me to seek a living relationship with You rather than merely following routines. Open my eyes to recognize Your work and give me humility to celebrate what You are doing in the lives of others. Amen.