The Truth of Blessing

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Mk 8: 25.

His cancer had recurred and he was not responding well to the salvage therapy. His tumors had stopped growing but remained stagnant as he was steadily wasting away.

Today was different. He was cheerful and had “fattened up”, five pounds over the past week, eating like a college athlete.

“It’s all God”, he said. “I was praying for God to help me and all of a sudden my smell returned. Three minutes later my taste returned. I’ve been hungry and eating ever since.”

And we had done nothing to change his therapy.

I can think of all kinds of reasons to explain away the supernatural supposition of this man’s experience, all kinds of reasons to underplay its importance and limit its ultimate benefit.

I can throw up all kinds of questions to God about why he would help this man in this way and not help others with their vital pleas.

There are lots of reasonable questions within experiences such as this, lots we will never figure out on this side of heaven.

The truth of life and the truth of prayer is this: God knows, God hears, God can and God acts.

Oswald Chambers once said, “Give God elbow room. Let him come into his universe the way he chooses.”

All kinds of comments and question may rise up when God steps inexplicably into our lives, but sometimes it is best to just, “Shut up and be thankful.”

Dear God,
Let me be so aware of your presence that I accept the truth of your blessings and live a life of thankfulness.
Amen