In The Darkness

Matthew 9:27-30a – As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting loudly, Have pity and mercy on us, Son of David! When He reached the house and went in, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, Yes, Lord. Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in me] be it done to you. And their eyes were opened. (AMP)

These men were blind; they walked in darkness, and yet, they were able to follow Jesus. Initially, Jesus did not even speak to them. Regardless, they still continued to follow Him. How did they know the way? Did they follow the murmuring of the crowd, or did they follow because they had that special sensitivity which is given to those who lack certain physical senses? We do not know how, but they persisted.

When I was a young teenager, I took the arm of a blind man to help him cross a very wide main road. I was rather embarrassed because I had taken this bold action, so halfway across the road, I released his arm but continued walking beside him. He also continued walking, but more slowly. Reaching the curb, I again took his arm to aid him, and I remember him saying, "I thought you had left me."

Sometimes, we experience horrendous happenings in our own lives or in our immediate families, and we feel we are in darkness. We come to the conclusion that Jesus has left us, because we cannot see any evidence of His presence or hear His voice. It is in those dark moments that we must continue in faith. Perhaps the testimonies of other Christians to God's faithfulness can be recognized as the unhesitating walking and murmuring of the crowd. The blind men to whom Jesus gave sight had little option: if they didn't put their trust in Christ, they would continue to live life in utter darkness. So it is with us, in the final analysis. Christ is the one in whom we put our faith to remove our blindness.

Prayer: Our heavenly Father, we do not understand our world. We pray that You would increase our trust that You are with us as we pass through these days of darkness. Help us also to be part of the murmuring crowd to encourage those who cannot see their way to Jesus. We bring this petition to You in His name, the name of Your Son and our Saviour, Christ Jesus. Amen.

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