Before It Gets Better, It Might Get Worse
VERSES
John 9: 1-8 - As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.
Matthew 15: 21-28 - And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
INTRO
God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we expect. In fact, Jesus almost never gives someone exactly what they are asking for.
The things you’ve been hoping for might be handed to you via mud from Jesus’ hand, or might be questioned to see where your faith is currently.
There is a lesson in the process we’re in, however it’s also possible for us to stay in the process and not even realize it.
In John 9, Jesus kinda makes a bad situation worse. Jesus obviously could’ve laid his hands on the blind man, or even spoke healing over his eyes, but with his saliva and the dirt on the ground, he makes mud and rubs it over the blind man’s face. Why? Jesus wanted him to make his faith bigger than his problem. How do we know? Try stepping outside, put on a blindfold and walk to the nearest lake. Not easy, right?
Jesus gave him something to do that was bigger than his blindness, bigger than mud caked onto your eyes. It takes faith to believe in a miracle that you cannot see.
In Matthew 15, Jesus meets a desperate woman that has a demon-possessed daughter. The disciples begged Jesus to send her away, “all this woman does is follow us, ask her to leave,” they said. But once again, Jesus wanted to test the faith of this woman and he even rejects her. But the woman is persistent, she overcomes by saying “I don’t need a whole meal from the table, just a crumb of what you provide is enough.”
Instantly, the bible says, her daughter was healed.
We can get frustrated sometimes, demanding more from God than we’re ready to receive, how many of us would be happy with just the crumbs of a miracle?
DISCUSSION
Are you frustrated with God? Waiting for him to answer a prayer completely?
There is a lesson in our process, what are some examples of this? Is it taking too long? Do you feel like you won’t get a response?
How can you feel at peace in your process?
PRAYER
Prayer requests
Pray for answered prayers, that we focus on the better parts of our process instead of the worse/bad parts of our process.