The disciples are not the only ones who ask questions of God. It’s not the questions we ask of God that get us in trouble. It’s when we think we already know the answer so we don’t ask the question, or when we answer the question from our human reasoning, that we hinder our own souls.

This is what happened in John 9 regarding a man who was born blind. It seemed obvious to wonder whose sin caused the son to be born blind—the man or the parents. To a first century Jewish mind, the fact that a baby was born blind was a sign of God’s punishment for sin. Jesus offers a divine explanation for the man’s blindness. He answered:

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:3-5).

The disciples had it all wrong. It wasn’t that the man’s or his parent’s sins caused his blindness. The reason this man was blind was so Jesus could heal Him at that time in that place in that day. The blindness became a display of God’s glory, not just for the blind man or his parents but for the Pharisees and the disciples. Many would see the glory of God displayed through what would happen next. Jesus’ light would shine through the reality of this man being born blind.

Even when the glory of God is evidently displayed, we still ask and answer questions that lead us to spiritual bankruptcy. The rest of the story displays how blind the spiritual leaders were to God’s glory being on display in their sight.

I wonder what blind spots you are facing today. What questions do you have of God? What answers are you taking on that lead your soul to deeper despair? Could you, too, be missing out on the glory of the Lord?

In Psalms we find a good tool to use when you find yourself asking and answering questions of why something happened, questions that leave your soul
in despair. The tool is a question that David often asked. He speaks to his soul and wonders: “Why are you downcast, O my soul?”

Think of ways the glory of the Lord is being displayed through the unreasonable circumstances you are facing. Look for the glory of the Lord; remember that God is at work while it is light. See the light of Christ still at work in the midst of your most difficult circumstances.

I guarantee it will lead you to ask deeper questions and realize that some answers will never be comprehended as long as you are confined to this world.