THE MIRACULOUS: When the Mundane Meets the Miraculous Part 3
“When The Miracle Happens In Stages”
JESUS SOMETIMES FIXES YOUR VISION BEFORE HE FIXES YOUR LIFE
1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely..”
Paul spoke from experience of how Jesus had fixed his visionbefore He fixed his life. The way Paul saw the teachings of Jesus was completely turned on its head after his encounter on the road to Damascus. Even though Paul’s vision was ‘fixed,’ he knew that he would receive perfect clarity once he stepped into eternity with Jesus. This knowledge dictated how Paul lived out the rest of his life, desiring the fullness of that complete knowing.
2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
Troubles today can truly be blessings tomorrow. Jesus does not promise believers a trouble-free life, but He does promise that He will be with us through it all. This is what Paul is speaking through this passage. Having hope in the eternal things to come, where we can look back and see how Jesus was right there in the middle of our lives.
Isaiah 55:8-9, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Through Isaiah, God invites us to come to know Him, reminding us that He alone knows the beginning and the end of everything. We can trust that God is working everything out for those who love Him. Only Godcan turn something that broke us into something that builds us and encourages others. On this side of Heaven we can only guess at how God is working, so we are called to believe that He wants more for us than we could ever imagine.
2 Peter 3:8-9, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ”
Peter gives us a very practical example of one way that God sees things differently than we do. Because He knows how things will end, we have more peace when we trust His timing in all that we do and ask. God has reasons for delay, as we see throughout Scripture. Nothing we see as a delay is wasted in His hands.
WHAT IS ONE AREA OF YOUR LIFE WHERE GOD IS TRYING TO FIX YOUR VISION? CAN YOU ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE CAN RESULT IN AN EVEN GREATER CHANGE THAN WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR? WHEN TROUBLES COME, TRY SHIFTING YOUR FOCUS ON TO JESUS. THIS ONE SMALL ADJUSTMENT CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.
Psalm 119:25-32, “I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. I told you my plans, and you answered. Now teach me your decrees. Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds. I weep with sorrow; encourage me by your word. Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. I have chosen to be faithful; I have determined to live by your regulations. I cling to your laws.Lord, don’t let me be put to shame! I will pursue your commands, for you expand my understanding..”
The Psalmist knew that God’s way was better, that God alone could fix his vision. Like the Psalmist, God wants us to share our plans with Him, but He also wants us to seek to know His decrees. Scripture is the best place to find encouragement and instruction. Remaining planted in Scripture is a choice that we have to make each and every day as we determine to live according to God’s regulations.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
It is possible for us to think we are following the path God has for our life, but in reality to be off track. We see an example of this through Saul in Acts. Saul was passionate about keeping the law, so passionate that he set out to imprison anyone who was professing “The Way.” And this is where God is so amazing. He knew Saul’s heart for Him. So God sent Jesus to get Saul’s attention and correct his vision. He will do the same for us. We can trust that when our motives are to follow Christ, if we get off the path He has for us, He will course correct us.
Can you think of an area of your life where God has course-corrected you? Share this time with your small group, and the method God used to provide the course-correction that you needed.
Read Acts 9:1-19. How Was Saul course-corrected? What does this speak into you and your life and faith today?
Saul’s vision was fixed, but with all he endured we may not consider that God had “fixed” his life. When we experience something similar, that discomfort as we follow God’s path for our lives, our eyes can drop to our circumstances instead of remaining on our savior. What is one reminder that you can have in your life that a “fixed” life may not always look the way we planned?
The difference between our vision and God’s can be seen through the warning that the church of Laodicea is given in Revelation. In our humanity we tend to look at the physical and temporal, while God looks at the eternal and is concerned for the condition of our hearts.
Read Revelation 3:14-22.
What verse or verses speak to the disparity between how we see and how God sees? Can you apply this insight on vision to a circumstance in your own life?
Take some time to journal to God about any areas in your life where you might be struggling with seeing as He sees. Ask Him to help you surrender your expectations and dreams, and to help you trust that He is working beyond what you can see. Finally, write out Ephesians 3:20 and spend some time really thinking about God’s infinitely more for your life.
When Jesus fixes our vision, He removes things that keep us from seeing clearly. This vision is often more of a heart issue than a physical one.
Read Matthew 7:1-5. What does this parable reveal to you about vision and the things that can impact how clearly we see?
Discuss with your small group some different things that can be “logs” in our eyes that reduce our vision. What can we do to help prevent these logs from impacting us?
Think about something that could be considered a “log” in your eye and write out a prayer to Jesus asking Him to help you work on this. Think about the ways that He can fix your vision as you go through this next week and if you come upon a revelation or a breakthrough, please be sure to share it with your small group or a trusted friend.
