Opening Eyes
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”
Isaiah 35:5-6
Dale stepped up to the pulpit and heaved onto it an incredibly large book with thick pages. As an elder lowered the microphone for him, Dale flipped to a section in the middle of the book. He adjusted his black glasses as if he could see and began to read: “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.’”
I immediately recognized the familiar passage from Isaiah 35. Dale’s huge and cumbersome book was the Bible written in braille. But not the entire Bible. The volume from which he read that morning represented only several books from the Old Testament. He had left most of his Bible at home because he couldn’t carry the entire thing!
The blind man continued his reading, with his hands placed squarely on the page and fingers constantly moving over the tiny bumps. He read with firm authority. Every once in a while he paused when his fingers encountered a staple in the page (his way of underlining a verse).
Dale looked so small behind the big book and the even bigger pulpit. But in my eyes he seemed so large. The Bible must be incredibly precious to Dale, seeing that it requires such effort to read it, to underline a verse, and even to cart it around! I glanced at my Bible on my lap. I knew, after that day, I would never look at it quite the same.
How precious is your Bible to you? Is it time for you to see the Bible afresh as the Word of God, a cherished communication from our heavenly Father? Read the entire chapter of Isaiah 35 today and relish in the truth and hope that is the Word of God.
Heavenly Father, thank you that you loved us enough to reveal yourself to us through the Word. Help me to read it with a fresh vision today.
Desperate for Hope: Questions We Ask God in Suffering
Vaneetha Risner joins the podcast again to talk about finding true hope in suffering. With a story that includes childhood bullying, losing an infant son, developing post-polio syndrome, and going through an unwanted divorce, Vaneetha has wrestled with God. But through her hardships, God has met Vaneetha in an unmistakable way and she has learned to trust him
