WEEK 21 – DAY 2

NOT THE RESULT OF SIN!

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. John 9:3

The disciples assumed that the man’s blindness was caused by sin, his or his parents’. Jesus shut them down immediately. I (Susan) have been greatly encouraged by His reply that the man’s blindness had been given to him in order that God might be glorified through his testimony. I was born with cerebral palsy affecting all four of my limbs but, praise the Lord, not my intellect. Many times, well-meaning people while praying for my healing, have assumed that demons were at work in my body and started trying to cast them out. God and the devil cannot co-exist in the same vessel. God is my Father, so I knew that every time this was done, they were wrong. When healing did not immediately manifest, there was always a blame game where I was the one lacking faith, or having the presence of sin. Sometimes sin is the source of sickness, but sometimes it is not. When people pray judgmentally, the person being prayed for disappears—feels invisible and spiritually violated. It took me a long time to be brave enough to tell people in a loving way that they were in the flesh and needed to go back and discuss it with the Master. When someone comes to the altar for prayer, they are demonstrating faith. We need to be careful to encourage that faith which comes from God rather than accuse them of having too little faith.

Father, help us to be encouraging as we pray for others, acknowledging the faith it took to ask for prayer. Help us not to judge others by their appearance or their physical or mental abilities but to love them!