Thursday, January 15, 2015

Blind Spots

Blind spots are interesting things. The effects of them are seen but the cause is not seen. Those effects can be frustrating because lack of sensory input makes it impossible to anticipate or avoid what is hidden from us using our vision.

Not only do our senses have blind, numb, silent, tasteless and odorless spots but our perception as a whole has them. Our feelings have them. They can be natural limitations or they can be caused by trauma.

Not to play into stereotypes but a woman might ask a man how he feels about something and get a blank stare in return. That man may have to turn his head in order to see into the place where that blind spot is in order to see his feelings on the subject. They are there but not in view. Some folks are to stubborn and stiff necked to ever turn their head to see anything but what they are focused on.

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:17 ESV

The 'word' in that sentence is Rhema. The Rhema of Christ gives us something that we were blind to before. If it were Logos it would be education but it is the illumination of understanding that comes from a perspective that we could never turn our head far enough to see.

Our spiritual ears give information that our eyes and other senses are blind to perceiving.

"Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the LORD? He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. The LORD was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious." - Isaiah 42:18-21 ESV

Jesus came into the world very aware of the blindness and deafness of His humanity. He was Spirit led. His Father's Words did not just aid His eyes. His Father's Words were His eyes.

A Rhema of grace accompanies the Rhema of Christ. The Bible is one dimensional and two dimensional at best without the illumination of grace. Grace opens up God's character and makes Him accessible. It reveals God's motives even if the details of His plan remain hidden from us.

"Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face." - Job 13:15 ESV

Many quote this verse but it reveals a man with blind spots. Here is a person groping to trust in God's mercy but unable to let go of His own arguments because grace has not penetrated that area of His thinking.

"Then Job answered the LORD and said: 'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. "Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?" Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. "Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me." I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.' " - Job 42:1-6 ESV

Grace shatters our old perceptions in their rigidness of duty and moral strength and gives us new humble ears.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." - Matthew 11:15 ESV

This is the place where some would say that God gives power to overcome our personal blind spots and we get victory over every wound that has ever caused us to have sensory deficits but I'm not going to say that. This is not a prosperity message. That is a road that leads to mania, self delusion and disappointment. The men who shout prosperity the loudest are the ones who want it the most but do not have it yet and are hoping that it will change if they speak louder.

God in His sovereignty may speak details that supplement our self perception like a coach does. The Spirit is our comforter and counselor. His purpose is not self illumination or empowerment. He makes us alive so we can be alive and fellowship with the Trinity.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." - John 14:26 ESV

Instead of sharpening our blurry focus He is going the turn our spiritual heads to look in the direction we would not look in before and become our vision. Like Moses turning aside from his shepherding tasks to examine a burning bush that is not consumed we are turned aside by the wonder of grace to hear God's voice call us and send us on a redemptive mission. God heard Moses when he pointed out his own limitations. God knew all about it and sent him anyway as a limited man. Moses outgrew some of those things and others he carried to the grave but those limitations became small things in comparison to the great deliverance at hand.

Today we can hear the voice of God and let grace turn our heads to explore what we can not see and function in that eternal perspective. If God wants to change something that Is His business not ours. Grace has shut our mouths and given us ears to hear.

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