Notice When You've Stopped Noticing GodSýnishorn

Before Jesus, no record of a blind person receiving sight had ever been made. The man himself exclaimed, “Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind!” But Jesus did. Placing mud on the man’s eyes, He told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam, and the blind man came home seeing. It’s amazing! The impossible became possible, but the Pharisees missed it.

How did they fail to notice God in this? Verse fourteen provides a pretty clear clue: “Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.”

Honoring the Sabbath is the fourth commandment—one of God’s “Top Ten.” The Israelites of the Old Testament were tasked to keep these commandments, but they kept failing. Again and again, they fell short, so in attempts to keep the Israelites on the straight and narrow, the Pharisees began adding their own rules to these commandments to be sure the people were clear on what was okay and what wasn’t. The problem was, these extra rules weren’t God’s. So, when Jesus spat on the ground to make mud, He violated the Pharisees’ law because by their own definition, making mud was ‘work’, and work was unlawful on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees were so focused on obedience to God, they failed to notice God, and I can do that, too. When I begin to add more to what God has called me to do, I’m no longer operating in His strength; I’m depending on my own. Sometimes, we can expect more from ourselves than God does. Only He is perfect, but I expect that everything I touch must always be perfect all the time. Only He is in control, but sometimes, I feel like I have to micromanage everything to be sure the job gets done right. When I’m focusing on my efforts instead of on God’s goodness and strength, I’m no longer noticing God, and anxiety is happy to take over the driver’s seat.

We see the anger and anxiety building in the Pharisees’ response to the miracle. They relentlessly interrogate the man, hurling insults at him, and the man’s response is one of unwavering faith: “One thing I do know—I was blind but now I see!”

Incredibly, the Pharisees remained “blind.” They placed obedience over encounter and completely missed Jesus in the process. When overwhelm and frustration seem to be running the show, it’s a good indicator that we have stopped noticing God. In what ways might you be focusing on your own efforts rather than relaxing into God’s presence? Is there something you can let go of and release into the hands of our loving Father?