Title: Put Your Hope in God
Gospel of John (62) Put your hope in God alone (John 9:35-41)
<What the Lord wants>
The structure of John 9 is as follows. In verses 1-7, the Lord heals a man who was blind from birth, and in verses 8-34, there is a scene of an argument between the healed blind man and a Pharisee. In this debate, the blind with experiential facts are proud, but the Pharisees with many theories are at a loss. The Pharisees expelled the blind man because he thought that continuing arguing with the blind would only make him more embarrassed. The text is the scene where the Lord meets the expelled blind man and talks with him. In this conversation, we can see two virtues that the Lord desires. What is that?
1. Faith
The Lord wants faith. The object of that faith should not be ‘the blessing of the Lord’ but ‘the person of the Lord’ (verses 35-38). The Lord is the one who gives blessings, but we want to believe in “the Lord who blesses us” rather than believing in “the Lord’s blessings.” Be clear about the object of this belief and live your life of faith. We want everyone's earnest prayer requests to be answered as they are. However, even if it is not answered as it is, you must believe in the goodness of the Lord and say “Amen!” to believe properly. The ups and downs belief that seeks only the pockets of God rather than the person of God itself is the most unhappy faith.
2. Humility
The reason the Lord came into this world is to make those who do not see see and those who see become blind (verse 39). Those words challenge the importance of humility. Recognizing human weakness and living humbly will lead to a truly enlightened life. Why is it a blessed life to open the first hour of the day with the Word and prayer? It is because we know that if we do not open the first hour of the day with the Word and prayer, we will inevitably become spiritually blind. Humility is the greatest vessel that contains the greatest amount of God's grace. Just as water pools in a low place, God's grace is contained in a humble attitude.
< Put your hope in God only >
How can you be humble? Look to God. Without God, even human goodness eventually becomes a failure. The biggest cause of failure is looking at people, and the biggest cause of success is looking at God. When John Wesley looked to God, the world became his parish. When the great revivalist Whitefield looked to God, thousands of people were saved, and when George Mueller looked to God, he was able to raise thousands of orphans without a single penny. If you put your hope in God, even if you feel like you are dead, the way of life will be opened, but if you turn away from God, you will die even if you think you are alive (1 Tim.
One day, while Martin Luther was eating bread, the dog next to him was looking intently at the bread in his hand. It was so pitiful that he broke a piece of bread and gave it to the dog, confessing. "God! Forgive me for not looking at God as earnestly as a dog who longs for bread! From now on, I will only look to God and live.” From then on, I was able to succeed in the Reformation by looking only at God.
Of course, “Live while looking only at God!” does not mean “Build a wall with the world!” If you build a wall with the world, you cannot become a healthy saint. Those who truly look to God realize the deep meaning of the words “God so loved the world!” in John 3:16 and see the world through God’s eyes. Then we realize that people with different skins, beliefs, and religions also have the image of God. In the same way, looking at your neighbor through God's eyes, listening to your neighbor's words, and introspecting yourself is also a life that looks at God.
Happiness does not depend on success or material possessions, but on a life that looks to God. When we realize the deep meaning of life looking at God and embrace even our unbelieving neighbors with an open mind, every weakness becomes strength, and every difficulty becomes a stepping stone for success, blessing, and happiness. Since you have a humble heart to know your own shortcomings, I pray that God's blessings will overflow in your lives, who want to be closer to the Word and prayer every day.