John 9:1-5 (English Standard Version)
As he passed by, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

This begins an encounter between Jesus and a blind man. But in our verses for today, the conversation is not between Jesus and that man, but between Jesus and his disciples.

The disciples assume that the man’s physical disabilities are a consequence of — and a punishment for — sin. This would have been a common assumption of that time. Jesus challenges this understanding of suffering, saying that the man’s illness will be used to demonstrate God’s work in his life. Jesus then walks over to the blind man, places mud on the man’s eyes, and tells him to walk over to the Pool of Siloam and wash the mud off. The man follows these directions (odd as they must have seemed to him at the time)… and he is healed, to the astonishment of all who knew him.

Jesus, the light of the world, brought light — for the first time — into this man’s life.

God constantly uses the circumstances in our life to show us God’s love. Painful circumstances, joyful circumstances. Every circumstance. God doesn’t waste an opportunity.

Questions:
What difficulty or adversity in your life has God used to demonstrate God’s power and love? How do you imagine God might use your current circumstances?