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Isaiah 35:5a – Then will the eyes of the blind be opened. (NIV)
Isaiah 42:18b – Look, you blind, and see! (NIV)
For some peculiar reason, I kept missing my destination. I couldn't understand why. I had often driven to that property, which was nearly impossible to miss. Yet that day, I failed to see it — repeatedly. Finally, I realized that it was pointless to repeat the route, so I stopped and parked the car. I walked to a nearby riverbank, where I stood listening to the gurgling water. A gentle rain had begun falling. After a few moments and a plea to God, I returned to the car — not yet knowing that God had designed this entire episode to show me more than my destination.
When I returned to the car, I noticed that a misty film now covered the windshield, occluding my view completely. I turned on the wipers, and instantly, I could see. That's when I suddenly saw God as a windshield wiper. It occurred to me that I needed God to wipe mistiness from my eyes so that I could recognize spiritual realities.
Ever since that episode, I've suspected that it was God who cleared the windshield of my mind so that I could again recognize my destination, and it was likely God who kept me from seeing the obvious in the first place. Sometimes, God does that. Think of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who couldn't recognize the risen Christ walking with them:
Luke 24:16 – But they were kept from recognizing him. (NIV)
Perhaps, God occluded their sight because they were seeing their Messiah merely with human understanding, not for who He truly was. Thus, He was a stranger to them. That day, as they walked down the road, Jesus became a windshield wiper, clearing their misty eyes by recalling Scriptures and explaining how His suffering and death were the fulfillment of promise. Both disciples would have been familiar with those Scriptures, but now, they saw them clearly. Now, they could recognize Jesus for who He truly was: the promised Messiah.
Luke 24:31a – Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. (NIV)
This was surely a double miracle — both the obstructing of sight and the restoring of sight. Maybe that's what happened to me. I needed to see my everyday road trips down the fast lane of life with more than just a human perspective. I needed to be stopped so that I could ponder over that.
Since then, I've discovered that Scripture often speaks of God as the One who obstructs vision.
John 12:40 – He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn — and I would heal them. (NIV)
That's the same God who, through His Spirit, opens eyes to see spiritual truth, even for us today.
Isaiah 29:18b – Out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. (NIV)
Prayer: Lord, we invite You to perform miracles in our vision — that our spiritual sensitivity may grow clearer day by day. Amen.
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Good one Diane!
Thanks for sharing, Diane.
Thank you, Diane. Like your prayer especially, at the end.
Excellent analogy.
Works for me from time to time also.
You are wise. I have seen the face of God in times of grief. He wants us to rely on Him, not our human understanding. Thank you.
Thank you, Diane, for this interesting devotional. I hadn’t thought about this before and will pay attention now to when something like this happens.
Absolutely a beautiful devotional. The experience and object lesson God gave you concerning physical and spiritual sight was used today to feed the multitude! Thank you for sharing.
Great analogy. It seems so easy to slip into congratulating ourselves for finally ‘figuring something out’, when in fact, both The blindness and the sudden insight are God’s gift to us. Thank you, Lord, for always finding a way to ‘open our understanding ‘.
Good illustration! Yes. I can say I did a lot of praying the time, in my seminary days, when I was driving back to Knox one stormy day and my wipers quit. The Lord got me back safely. And I got them fixed immediately. Taking care of my car was a lesson I learned that day. I hadn’t paid much attention til then.
Hello Diane,
Many thanks for another great devotional. You have written a very in-depth explanation of how God works to clear our vision in so many circumstances and your comparison to “windshield wipers” is excellent.
Blessings,
(B.C.)
Dear Ms. Eaton:
I have been reading 4-6 daily devotionals for years, every morning.
This is by far the best “sermon” I have heard or read in many years!!!
The Lord inspired you to write His words for me and, I am sure, thousands more.
May you be showered with His blessings!
Thank you.
Dear Dianne
What a powerful and helpful devotional you have written!
Thank you for helping me have a different ‘perspective’ and ‘seeing’ that there is a greater plan beyond what I can ‘see’!
I especially found this paragraph helpful in my present ‘journey’… I’m trusting He’ll clear the windshield of my mind because at this point, I’m having difficulty seeing what is possibly obvious.
Hi Diane,
I enjoyed your devotional.
It also reminded me of the day I was driving when suddenly the wiper blew away!
Surprisingly, this happened almost directly in front of a factory that made windshield wipers. I pulled into the parking lot and asked if I could buy some wiper blades. Not only did they give me wipers but one of their workers came out and installed it for me… in the pouring rain!
Thank you for taking me back and remembering how God takes care of us in unexpected ways.
Interesting post Diane, thanks and God bless!
Diane, such a lovely message and l love the metaphor with the windshield wipers! May God clear our vision to see His spiritual Truths! Blessings