Stuck in a rut – here is some encouragement! (Guest Post!) (Again)

Updated to say:  I found this post, that was written a year ago.  I know a lot of people are trying to read through the Bible and thought it might encourage you.

I’m reading the Bible in 90 days and got discouraged the other day when the Bible was just not being exciting for me.  My husband came in and encouraged me.  He can tell the story so much better than I can…the rest are his words.  Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

 From my husband:

One morning, as I was reading in John 9, it was as if The Lord was showing me a familiar story inside out. 

It is the account of one of the awesome miracles that Jesus did on this Earth.  Jesus was walking along with his disciples when they see a man who was born blind.  Jesus makes mud, puts it on his eyes and then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, which he of course does and is healed. 

This is where The Lord tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Pay attention to what you’re about to read.  It may open your eyes to something you need to know.”

I have always read this story with my focus on the miracle, thinking of what it would have been like to see a blind man healed, but it was what happened next that was a little disturbing to me. 

People began to tell the Pharisees what had happened and, as is par for the course for Jesus, He had to heal on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees, who never seemed to be able to “think outside the box” reacted in their usual “miss the BIG picture” manner and focus on the fact that it was the Sabbath and Jesus should have picked a Tuesday or Thursday to heal and set free (never mind the fact that a man who has never seen anything in at least 20 years was just healed). 

Then I began to put myself in the place of this young man.

The Pharisees, who were no doubt his mentors and spiritual leaders his entire life, began to interrogate him.  They even brought his parents in and did the same to them.  They were terrified.  His parents didn’t even answer the question for fear of being excommunicated (I can’t believe I spelled that word without using the spell check.) 

Then I began to think to myself, “Where is Jesus at in all of this?”  Where are the “warm fuzzies” and good times we were having earlier when he was healed?

Now he is facing what my Mother-in-law likes to call a “crisis of belief” and Jesus is not standing by his side.  In fact, it seems like he was all alone.  Then he was kicked out of the Synagogue.

It’s hard for me to totally understand what he felt like but I imagine it was much like being banned from your family or losing a loved one.  All that he had ever known just changed in a day and all of his thoughts go from amazement to insecurity. 

Then Jesus comes and reaffirms him.

I then realized what Christ had done.  He gave him all he needed to stand up against the spiritual elite of the day in two sentences, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know.  One thing I know:  that THOUGH I WAS BLIND, NOW I SEE.”

There are times that we face when there are no good feelings to be had. 

Times when we read the Bible when God sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher in stead of hearing the Rhema word that God spoke to us yesterday. 

These are times of testing. 

The devil would like nothing more than for you to say, “What’s the use?  I just don’t understand what I’m reading.” 

Then later, The Lord says, “Do you remember what you read 3 days ago.  This is what I was talking about.”  Then comes that wonderful feeling as God’s arms wrap around you and the warmth, encouragement, security, strength, or whatever it was that you needed is obtained.  Then we remember that we just obey and it will work exactly like He planned it. 

THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!!