For the Glory of God

“Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”—John 9:3

In John 9, we see Jesus answering a question from His disciples. They were walking by a man born blind when they asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"—John 9:2. The disciples understood that sometimes physical ailments have spiritual roots (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-32), but Jesus assured them that this man’s blindness was not caused by his sin or that of his parents. He was born blind so that God’s glory might be made manifest within him. Jesus then spat on the ground and made mud with His saliva, taking the mud and then placing it on his eyes. Jesus, the divine Artist through whom God created the world and everything in it, picked up the substance of His trade once more to sculpt eyes for this helpless man. Not since Adam had He created eyes a new, but He did, all so that God’s glory might be displayed within him.

Jesus commands him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, which he does and recovers his sight. He goes forth testifying to God’s greatness and mercy. While we may not be able to remake eyes the way that Jesus did, nor experience the miracle of God’s healing power as the man born blind did. We do know what it means to suffer. We do know what it is to experience pain. We do know what it’s like to face trials and tribulations. And we do know, according to the truth within this passage, that our trials and tribulations might be there so that God’s glory might be displayed in us.

The trials we go through have a purpose—to display the glory of God. But what does that mean, “display the glory of God”? It means showing in our lives the reality of God’s presence within us. We display His glory, or unsurpassable worth, in a variety of ways. It may be through suffering, or undergoing some type of trial or tribulation. Which is why James wrote, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”—James 1:2-4.

James understood that the trials and tribulations we face are opportunities whereby God can be seen within us, just as the man born blind was blind so that God’s glory might be displayed through his physical healing. And while our healing may not be physical, we still are able to show that God is more important to us than our physical healing. Is God able to heal? Most definitely. Will He heal? We don’t know. Only He does. Most times He doesn’t heal, but that doesn’t mean that He is less than God. It means that He wants us to trust in Him and show that even though we may suffer from a debilitating disease, or suffer with some type of disability, God is greater. He is more valuable than our physical well-being and when God is shown as our all-surpassing treasure in the midst of difficulty—men and women are attracted to Christ and God is glorified. Others come to trust in Him through His power being seen in our weakness and our joy is increased because of it.

My brother or sister, are you undergoing or dealing with some indescribable pain right now? Is it because of some sin? Or is simply because God wants to display His glory in you? May God give us the eyes of faith to see our trials and tribulations, diseases and disabilities as opportunities whereby God might receive glory and we might increase in joy. Amen.