Blind Faith

by Laura Moninger

On my knees, face in my hands, eyes closed, I searched for Him. But I couldn’t see Him. I closed my eyes tighter, yet still struggled to connect with Him as I prayed.

There are moments when I feel so very blind. It’s not clear where I’m going. I can hardly see the next step…

And I’m afraid to walk when I can’t see.

But isn’t that what faith is all about?

In these times, I’m encouraged and comforted by the stories of blind men that Jesus healed in the Bible…

As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man.

The beauty of friends who lead us to Jesus when we don’t have the strength or the sight. Their faith and prayers as they beg Jesus to touch our hearts and minds and bodies with healing.

Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village…

And this Jesus—who takes us by the hand so gently, so lovingly. Leading us out of the crowd, the noise, the confusion.

He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything. The man looked up and said, ‘I see people, but they look like trees walking around.’

Even when His hand is upon us, we don’t always get the results that we would like. Sometimes the healing doesn’t happen in a single moment. Sometimes life still seems fuzzy. I wonder if the blind man was afraid, if he lost faith in Jesus because it didn’t happen right way? Or did he continue believing even when so much was still hidden from his sight?

Once again Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes, and this time the man stared. His eyes were healed, and he saw everything clearly.

His eyes were healed and his sight was restored…and maybe the eyes of his heart were opened, too. Did he see clearly from the inside as well? Was he staring with awe and joy at his surroundings, the beauty of God’s creation he’d missed out on before? Or was he staring at his Savior before him, with gratitude for a deeper healing as well as the physical one?

Beautiful miracle. By our Jesus who still performs miracles today. Not always in our timing, and not always in the way we think it should happen. Yet with faith, we can trust in Him instead of the outcome.

So I do ask: Lord, help me to see.

But perhaps more importantly, Lord, help me to believe.

(Scripture from Mark 8:22-25)