1YB: Judges 9:35-37, Luke 24:13-31

These two passages show us one thing clearly, God is in charge of our eyes and our sight.

In the extract from Judges, Gaal sees an army approaching his city and, even though the traitorous Zebul tries to fool him into believing it is simply the shadow of clouds on the hillside, he stands by his assessment of the truth and is able to mount a counter-attack in defense.

In the extract from Luke, two of Jesus' followers bump into him on a road but God prevents their eyes from recognising him. How weird... If the men had have recognised it was Jesus, what would the harm have been? They'd have been overjoyed! But Jesus, in his God-given disguise from them, explains the prophecy of the ressurection to them and they understand. Only when he breaks bread with them after they invite him for dinner, does the penny finally drop. God releases them from their unrecognition.

Sometimes, God obscures our view for a reason. Perhaps we need to understand the processes of God before we see his results. Perhaps we need to find him rather than him finding us. Sometimes, God blinds us to his own work in our lives. It's where trust really comes in. If God's hand was always clear, if we always knew exactly what he was doing, we wouldn't have to have faith and he wants us to trust him completely, so sometimes he covers our eyes and makes us take a step in the dark.

Sometimes, the enemy can obscure the truth from us as Zebul tried to do. We can hear the lies but we have to stand by what we know first, like Gaal. At the forefront of our minds and lives should be the promises and truths of God. If these go before us, the lies of the enemy that follow will be useless and ineffectual. We set our minds on the truth and we stick to it!

So, pray that God will open your eyes to the lies of the enemy but know that, if you can't see God, it might be because he's hidden himself from you. Your faith and trust are being tested and strengthened in the most loving way possible. Stay true to him, remember his promises, he will never forsake you, he will never let you go. His hand is always upon you but sometimes it's hidden from your sight. Keep trusting and he will reappear, proud and beaming at your faithfulness!