A DIFFERENT STRATEGY

DAY 216
FAITH FILE: THE BLIND MAN AT BETHSAIDA
SCRIPTURES: MARK 8:22-26

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

Often, we mistakenly believe that God will work with us in the same way He works with others. This misconception can lead to fear and anxiety. The truth is, God works with each of us uniquely, based on our individual needs and according to His own plan. The miracles and transformations He brings into our lives may not follow the same pattern as those experienced by others. We need to keep that in mind.

In our text today, Jesus meets the blind man at Bethsaida. A couple of days ago we looked at how Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus, and over the past few days, we have also looked at how He healed other people. Most times he spoke a word or gave an instruction but for this blind man and the deaf and dumb man of Mark 7:31-37, He does something a little different. Although their healing style is similar we will focus on the blind.

Quite Unusual

First, He takes him out of town. For some reason that town was not where this blind man belonged. Jesus had to separate him from that familiar to heal him and he was not return there after he was healed. When they left town, Jesus proceeds to spit in mud, mix it and rub it on his eyes, TWICE!! Because it didn’t work the first time.

See how different everything is for this guy. We get anxious and fearful when things are different for us but not this guy. A couple of times Jesus had brought my miracle differently and the process was so different I complained all through. Why are you doing this to me, God? Others gained admission without 21 days of fasting, I will almost have an ulcer, and still nothing. Why is Srah married when she is a bad girl and I have to wait? These things sound so funny now when I think of how I was feeling. I didn’t realize that God had a different strategy.

Allow Jesus Work

This blind man was not like me or some of us he was a man of faith. He was confident and courageous enough to wait for Jesus to do what He wanted to do the way that He wanted, designed, and purposed to do it. And he was patient to let Jesus do it twice.

Beloved, we have to allow Jesus to work with us the way that He wants to work with us. We cannot keep dictating to him how we expect Him to bring us a miracle. We have to trust His strategy. It could be that your miracle requires a new city, a new job, or nothing new at all. You never know what strategy God is going to use. And even though everybody you’ve known before had it one particular way, trust that God knows what He’s doing.

Go with Jesus in the strategy that He has for you. Go with Him in the plan that He has proposed for your healing, for your breakthrough, for your miracle.

Shalom.