Don’t Miss the Obvious
Sometimes you got to be hit over the head to see what’s in front of you.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and you know, we are certain that the keys are lost—lost forever, but then we discover them in plain view on the table. We’re certain that we’re out of milk, until a second look in the refrigerator reveals an unopened pint. We would swear we paid that bill, until we get an overdue notice in the mail, take a closer look at our checkbook and see that—yikes—the invoice is right there. We do it all the time; we miss the obvious.
And we also miss the obvious when it comes to God. Even though His presence is with us. His promises are as clear as day. We do not always see the Lord in the events of our lives. But we’re not the only ones. The disciples in Mark Chapter 8 worried over where they could buy bread for lunch. Oh my goodness, silly disciples, I mean just hours earlier the Lord had whipped up a miracle lunch and fed seven loaves of bread to four thousand people.
Jesus was aware of their discussion—where are they going to find bread. And in Mark Chapter 8, He says, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand. How many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?'”
You can almost hear a hint of exasperation in the Lord’s words. Like: “Come on, didn’t I just perform a huge miracle in front of your eyes? Turning five loaves into a meal that fed 5,000? C’mon, don’t you remember picking up the leftovers? Where were you? Where are your heads? You saw it for yourself.” But still, His followers missed the obvious. Even though the Lord was standing right there, they did not recognize Him as the Bread of Life. If Jesus had fed 5,000, could He not also feed them? But before we get down on the disciples, before we razz them for missing the obvious, we’ve got to read Mark Chapter 8, verses 17-19 for ourselves.
Because you’ll see right there what dismays our Savior. It’s our unbelief that exasperates Him. Because you and I, we should know better. The disciples did not have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts at that point, but we do. We should more easily recognize the Lord and all that He can do through His promises, even more so than the disciples. And for any one of us who fail to believe, or refuse to believe, for any one of us who has seen Jesus work miracles in our own lives, you can almost hear Him saying, “Oh my goodness, are you deaf or blind? Has your memory failed you? Or is it that your hearts are hardened?” Well, no… it’s just unbelief. We fail to believe what is right in front of our noses. Jesus, the source of help and hope, is in the midst of every circumstance in your life. Are you weary? He’s the God of all comfort. Are you lonely? He’s the God that will never forsake you. Are you hungry for more than this world can give? He’s your Bread of Life. Is there conflict in your heart? He’s the Lord of Peace. Are you weak and feeling frail? He’s your Mighty Fortress. Are you insecure? His name is a Strong Tower; the righteous should run into it and find safety.
So today, do not be like the disciples. Don’t miss the obvious. Jesus is smack-dab in the middle of whatever circumstance you find yourself in right now. And He, bless His heart, He’s got hand-tailored grace, if you would but believe. Just ask Him to remind you today, should you forget. Let me hear from you on my Facebook page or you can always post a comment on my blog at joniandfriends.org.
© Joni and Friends
