I will never forget the moment I tried on glasses for the first time. When I was in elementary school, an eye doctor determined that I needed glasses because my vision was very poor. The remarkable thing is that I had no idea that my vision was bad at all. I was so familiar with my poor vision that I did not know what 20/20 vision looked like! As you can imagine, I was amazed when I put on my first pair of glasses. Colors were brighter, everything was clearer, and I could see infinitely better than before. I went years and years with poor vision, not knowing it. It was only when a doctor prompted me to get my eyes checked that I took steps to get help. Indeed, the first step in getting help and healing is knowing and acknowledging the areas where we need help. That is why, when Jesus came to earth, He sought to help those who were spiritually blind to recognize their spiritual blindness.
Jesus expressed His mission to help those who were spiritually blind see their spiritual blindness in John 9. In this passage of Scripture, he healed a man who had been born blind, not just physically but spiritually. He restored his vision and also revealed to this formerly blind man who He was. Then, he said to the formerly blind man, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind” (verse 39). Scripture tells us that some of the Pharisees who were near Jesus heard Him say these things, so they asked, "Are you saying we're blind?" (verse 40). Jesus responded, saying, "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty…but you remain guilty because you claim that you can see" (verse 41). Indeed, the Pharisees were among those whom Jesus spoke of who claimed to be able to see but were unaware that they were walking around in their spiritual blindness.
Just like the Pharisees, we can be walking around unaware that we are spiritually blind. We may have areas of pride or a false sense of moral superiority that we do not see. The question is, are we willing to step back and examine our own spiritual blindness? Are we willing to look for areas where we have been behaving like the Pharisees? When we recognize that we are blind, and only then can we begin to take steps toward healing. We can start by praying the words of Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
Read the verses in the Going Deeper section below. Then, take time now to follow the example of David, who wrote this Psalm, and examine your own heart. Ask God to reveal to you any areas where you may be spiritually blind. Be ready to hear when God reveals these areas to you. As He reveals these areas where you have been spiritually blind, confess them to God and ask Him to help you as you seek to find growth and healing.
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
17 How precious are your thoughts about me,[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
20 They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
