Home Sweet Home | Thankful Thursday

Today is Thankful Thursday and my family and I have a LOT to be thankful for. On Saturday we finally get the keys to our new home. We are going to be renting a house in town and the four of us can hardly wait. Javan has an away football game Saturday, so we want to go support him and show him some love and then we can start moving in!!

PSALM 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

We have been praying and seeking God for 22 months to give us a home. We had one disappointment after another. We tried to buy a house and that all fell through over and over. We tried to find a home to rent to no avail. We sought God with tears and many times in desperation. Friends and family were praying for us. Sometimes we were judged and treated unfairly because people thought they knew us and that living in a crowded environment where we were told we were not welcome was more appealing to us than having our own home. The comments were meant to hurt us. It just caused the four of us to become closer. 

People will talk; let them! It may be giving someone else a break. Keep your eye on God and you will find His Word is full of promises He will keep! Don’t give up!!!!

Today my family and I are finally free. The shackles that held us for so long did not stunt our spiritual growth. These chains that held us much longer than we wanted are finally gone!! God has provided for us like only He can and we are blessed beyond measure.

If you’re still in the  waiting season; do not give up and do not lose heart!! God is up to something!! What are you thankful for today? God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 34 | Bible Study Wednesday

I was able to return to work last week and worked three shifts. It was exhausting but I am so thankful to God for how He touched my body!

Today I want to continue with our Bible study through Psalms. We are in Psalm 34. If you haven’t already done so, take a moment and ask Holy Spirit to open the Scriptures to you. Next, read through the 22 verses in this Psalm. It is a Psalm of David referring to what happened in the second half of 1 Samuel chapter 21. I encourage you to read that short chapter as well. 

David traveled to a place called Nob. He goes to the priest Ahimelech. David is hungry and unarmed. He manages to get the showbread for himself and the men with him. They leave with the sword of Goliath, too. How fitting for David to receive the sword from the giant he slew in the famous battle. 

Achish is the king of Goliath’s hometown and so when the king’s servants recognized David and recalled the song the people sang about Saul killed thousands and David killed ten thousands, David started to feel fear. 

David had to do some quick thinking on his feet. 1 Samuel 21:13 “And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gates, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.”

David’s performance was Oscar-worthy. The king believed he was mentally unstable. He questioned his servants as to why they would bring that kind of man into his home. So David was spared. And now we pick up in Psalm 34. 

VERSES 1-7: David is rejoicing that God delivered him from king Achish. God saw David fearful of the king of Gath and God rescued David in a very unique way!

VERSES 8-10: David remembers how God used the priest to feed him and his hungry men. David is an eyewitness of the goodness of God.

VERSES 11-14: Much like other psalms we have studied this year; David is giving us instruction. Don’t speak evil. Keep your conversation pure. Run away from wickedness and do good things instead. Seek peace and pursue it. David says by doing this it is fearing the Lord God!

VERSES 15-22 David compares the way God responds to His children and the way He responds to those who are not His children. There are blessings for His children and curses for the wicked. Notice verse 19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous! Not the wicked but the righteous are facing many afflictions. Not just a few hard times. There will be many but the great news is God delivers us out of every single one of them! That’s something to shout about!

Friends I don’t know what all of you are going through but God is greater and stronger than anything we face. I hope you are encouraged today. I pray this is strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Where’s the Good Things? | Fuel for the Weekend

JEREMIAH 5:21-25

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

Fear ye not Me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at My presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. 

Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in His season: He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. 

Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. 

My son has a football game tomorrow. Fall has arrived and I am so thankful! The trees are changing colors and it is a sight to behold! As you start your weekend, I want to give you something to ponder and maybe discuss with those around you!

God is speaking in the fifth chapter of the book of Jeremiah. He is talking to those of us who have eyes but we are blind to the truth. We have ears but we are not listening to what God is saying. 

God asks, “Don’t you fear Me?” He is God! He is Holy! He is Sovereign! Will we not tremble at the presence of God? He is all around us? He made a decree that stands year after year that the sand serves for the water to be bound in its’ limits. Even when the waves throw themselves at the boundaries, God said they have to stay in the confines of His borders. Even though the rush and roar of the ocean sounds off, they are limited by God’s design. 

Even though God gives us boundaries and guidelines, the spiritually blind and deaf are rebellious and force their way wherever they want to go! They don’t respect God who blesses them with everything they need to be sustained.

Friends, let’s not be like those rebellious people! In fact, let’s go to them and try to help them!!!

Verse 25 says their sins have turned God’s provisions away, and it has withheld good things from coming to them. 

Perhaps we all need to look around. Are we in turmoil and distress? Are we missing out on the good things of God? Could it be He is near but we are not looking for Him; not seeking His face? Could it be He is speaking but we are so loud in complaining we drown out His still, small voice? Maybe we have slapped away God’s bountiful gifts because it did not look like we thought it should! 

Let’s seek God’s face this weekend! Let’s reach out to Him in love and repentance and watch how He makes all things new. Let’s take the blinders off and remove the earplugs and sit in His presence with reverence and Holy fear. I will. How about you?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens 

Toughest Trials | Thankful Thursday

When I was younger, not even sure how old I was, I found myself being ridiculed, hatred spewed from an adult’s mouth, and I was hit multiple times. Screaming in my face about how worthless I was and how I would never amount to anything covered my face like a dark cloth. I collapsed to the floor, but refused to stop fighting back as I tried to defend myself. I would fall to the floor in a crumpled ball. Determined to prove my point I got back up. The adult began beating me with a belt and fists balled up. “If you get back up, you’ll get it again!” The threats were made good as I tried again to stand up for myself. God did not spare me that day. I wish that was an isolated case and not a routine part of my childhood. But I never blamed God.

Today I am an adult in my 40’s. For the last three years it feels like I continue to get knocked down and kicked. I try to stand up and just get beaten back down. My family and I have sacrificed so much for God. We have tried doing all the right things and we continue to lose. Others around us who could not care less about God get so many blessings and it seems like it is really unfair. Today I asked God why. I wanted to know why we have to suffer and get attacked every time we turn around. And I actually think He told me. 

One person after another said that this great suffering is for a great testimony. We didn’t ask for a testimony. In the middle of the beating and in the middle of the pain, it just does not feel like a very good answer. 

I do not understand ANYTHING God is doing in our lives. It feels like the very worst timing. Today I tried to remember a happy time and a good thing that happened so we could be encouraged. I even asked my daughter. She couldn’t remember one either. The past 3 years has been the hardest, scariest, most painful season of our lives. 

So what am I thankful for? I am thankful for my husband who is so strong and courageous. I am thankful for my children who are kind and loving and they really want to have hope again. I am thankful they have faith because right now I do not know if I even have mustard seed faith.

Like the traumatic memory I shared earlier, I finally was weak and collapsed in a heap in the floor. Beaten into submission I laid in a ball, sobbing and so confused about why that person would not listen to me. And I feel that way now. I feel like we have no choice about what happens to us right now. We try to do what we believe is best and we suffer dearly for it. I wonder why isn’t God listening to us. I feel defeated and discouraged. 

But Jesus asked God to let the bitter cup of suffering pass from Him in the garden. Jesus said nevertheless not My will but Thine be done. God said No! to Jesus. He had to do the hardest thing in the world. He had to suffer. Jesus asked God, “Why have You forsaken Me?” I feel like asking that, too. 

But unlike Jesus, I have not been asking from a place of submission to His will. I have been asking because I can’t take the pain and suffering any longer. I can’t stand to not have stability or our own home any longer. I do not understand one single thing about this nightmare that never ends. It has actually gotten worse so far and the week isn’t even over. 

I am not thankful for the hardness of this test. I am not thankful for God telling us no when we have a fundamental need that His Word says He will supply. I am grateful that He loves us. I am thankful that there are a lot of examples in the Bible that relate to what we are going through. I am grateful for Job, David, Daniel, Joseph, and Jesus who also endured much on this earth. 

I am choosing to believe it will not always be like this. I really hope it changes soon. My body is filled with physical pain. My husband and our children are battling various physical issues and now another blow. I am thankful that I have my own little family to walk through  the fire with. And I believe God is good and Sovereign and He sees much more than I can. 

This is definitely an unusual Thankful Thursday and I am sorry if it is not encouraging or uplifting today. I know that life sometimes just feels really bad and that will never change on this side. But it’s important to not get it twisted. God loves us, all of His children. He never promised me a life without suffering, sacrifice, and submission. He said He would be there and fight for us. So I am thankful for that. 

What about you? Are you thankful today? Are you struggling? Have you been wounded? Trust God to help you, even when you have no clue what He is doing. You may never know but just trust Him. His track record is perfect. 

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. 

Do you know the next verse?

Psalm 23:5

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

I am waiting for that part. 

~Bridgett Owens 

Psalm 33 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to another Bible Study Wednesday! I had a back injury August 13 and I have been down ever since. I have used chiropractic care, physical therapy, medication, rest, ice, relaxation, distraction, a cane, and this Friday I will see a neurosurgeon. I have been unable to sit up for long. My endurance and strength is diminished. So I neglected my blog, my Instagram Reels, and my YouTube channel. It has been a painful journey and I have been out of work with no pay all this time. But, God told me to get back to those things. He wants me to share my faith and His goodness and Holiness and Mercy and Love with the world. So, today we will jump in right where we left off. Today we will look at Psalm 33.

It is no coincidence that we are starting with this particular chapter. It is a song of hope. It is a psalm of encouragement! It is a reminder that God is not finished with us yet!!

If you have not read through these 22 verses, please do. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you. Ask Him for wisdom, knowledge, and discernment.

VERSES 1-3

I do not know who wrote this particular psalm. The psalmist tells us in these first three verses to rejoice, to praise, to play the harp, to sing, to play stringed instruments. Verse three tells us to be loud. No timid worship. We are glorifying the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are not to make a racket but we are to play with skill. We must give our best effort in praise to God who gave us the gifts and abilities. 

VERSES 4-7

The psalmist tells us about God and His Word. He is right. Nothing in your life may appear to be going right but God’s way is right! All that He does is honest. He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the goodness of God. He breathed and stars appeared. He spoke and He created all that is. He gathers up the deepest oceans in a heap. What a great testament about how great and Mighty our God is. 

VERSES 8-9

Let the whole world stand in awe of how amazing God is. Look at verse nine! God spoke and it was DONE! God commanded and it stood fast!!! What has God spoken over you? Walk in it!

VERSES 10-11

God brings all the wicked plots and schemes to nothing. Their plans are ineffective! Conversely, God’s plans stand forever. The thoughts of His heart for us will last for ALL generations!!

VERSES 12-15

What nation is blessed? The nation whose God is the LORD! Those are the people He chooses for His inheritance! God looks from heaven to all of mankind. Up in glory, God looks way down below to all who dwell on earth. He made our hearts the same. We all have a deep need only Jesus can fill. He considers the work we do. 

VERSES 16-17

There is no royalty, no government official, no rich person saved by many people or by brute strength. It is ridiculous to trust in technology, horsepower, or anything else with great strength. What hope of deliverance do we have? Let’s keep reading!

VERSES 18-21

God’s eye sees those who fear Him and hope in His mercy. He delivers our soul from death and we won’t starve in famine. When life is hard and we think we are done for, God helps us and protects us as we wait on Him. We can rejoice like the psalmist told us to do in the first three verses of this psalm. Why? Because we trust in Jesus! 

VERSE 21

May our prayer be: “Let Your mercy, God, be upon us, according as we hope in You.”

Is your hope in the government, medication, science, research, education, finances, career, other people?? Where do you place your trust, in a spouse, a friend, a pastor? Friends, let us put our hope and trust in the only One able to save and deliver. His name is Jesus Christ. 

I apologize for the delay in keeping up with my blog. I am using my phone to share today’s Bible study. I hope to be settled soon with my computer and physical healing but until then I will do what I can to continue to share God’s message of peace, love, mercy, and salvation in alternate ways.

I hope something you read on the blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Chiropractic Care | Thankful Thursday

If you read my blog post yesterday you would understand why I am thankful for chiropractic care. This was my third day with my chiropractor and he has been using various techniques and therapies on me. I am feeling a little better each day but there’s a lot of pain still. I am unable to walk upright and still need to hold onto chairs, tables, people, you name it. But I’m progressing and my chiropractor cares. I am not another chart to read. I am not getting a bunch of pain pills to mask the problem, or shuttled from one specialty to another. We even had an interesting conversation about Methuselah in the Bible. I am thankful for that kind of care and attention.

So, do you know how old Methuselah was? He is the oldest person in the Bible. We have to go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible to read about Methuselah. His dad was Enoch and do you remember what was special about Enoch? Let’s read it together.

GENESIS 5:18-27 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch waked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

Isn’t that so interesting? I love reading that  it shows us that God kept people around a whole lot longer back then, huh?

So count your blessings with me and let me know what you are thankful for!

God bless you!

 ~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 32 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! Before we start our Bible study together, I wanted to make a couple of announcements. First of all, today is my baby boy's 15TH birthday! Wow! My brother and I were talking today about where has the time gone! He used to get off work in the wee hours of the morning and take care of Javan so I could sleep for a few hours. It was pretty brutal in the beginning and I am so thankful for his love and care for my newborn. Javan is so much like my brother it is actually a little scary! But I am thankful for my brother and my baby boy, who is not a baby any longer but he will always be my baby!

He loves to go fishing and this summer he did quite a bit of that with his daddy while he recovered from surgery. It was really nice to see him do something fun near the water since he couldn't get in. Paul and I picked out his birthday cake and it was just a lot of fun to surprise him with this particular cake! He loved it!

In other, not so exciting news, I have injured myself. It happened on Saturday and it hurt quite a bit, but I just went on about my day. Sunday I missed church. I could hardly get out of bed, but I figured maybe I had slept wrong. I watched church online and getting out of bed was a chore! I did not put the injury Saturday afternoon together with the Sunday morning aches and pains. I got worse as the day went on. Monday I could hardly walk and I had to cancel my training for Tuesday at my new job. I was really disappointed but I could not even stand up straight.

I made an appointment with my chiropractor and he got me in Tuesday. Paul helped me from the vehicle to the office and then I literally was wheeled out in a wheelchair. The pain has been excruciating. I felt a little better Tuesday afternoon and was able to lay on some ice and take some anti-inflammatory medication and rest. My doctor said no work for me the rest of this week. I was back in there today for more therapy. I was walking a little better, but still require assistance and cannot stand up straight. It is all I can do to walk to the car and then back inside. I have an appointment tomorrow and another on Friday. I am hoping to be back to walking upright and without the pain on Tuesday and throughout the week next week. Please say a prayer for me.
 

If you have been with me on this journey this year, you know God pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 32. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 11 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

Verses 1-2

Did you ever think of how blessed we are to have our sins forgiven? Our sins are covered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ if we have been saved by His mercy and grace. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb if we have surrendered our lives to Him, confessed our sins, and asked Jesus to be the Lord of our life.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Friends, we are reconciled to God, our Heavenly Father, through the blood of Jesus and His work on the cross. That is why we are blessed! That is a reason to rejoice. Our sins are wiped away and He will blot them out, never to remember them anymore.

Verses 3-5

David is having a hard time wrestling with his sin that is separating him from God. He has no peace. He has no pleasure. He is miserable. Sin causes us to live in a miserable state. Do you remember what David had done? He used his power and influence to have an affair with another man's wife. He got her pregnant and formed a plan to cover it up and look like it was Uriah's baby. Uriah was an honorable man and would not take the bait. He was a man of war and he would not leave the war and his men behind while he had pleasure with his wife. David ordered Uriah be put on the front lines and have the soldiers pull back which would end Uriah's life in the battle.

Think of all the work David did to hide his sin, but it did not work. He says there was a heaviness on him day and night. He could not sleep it off. He could not busy himself with the affairs of his kingdom. That sin was constantly gnawing at him. He knew he had messed up. He lost his strength. He was not the man he used to be and he could not even look at his own reflection.

2 SAMUEL 12:7-14 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee *such and such (much more) things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

Now that we have looked back in time to that instance and we see how David was burdened and disconnected from God, we also see David's quick admittance that he was guilty. He acknowledged the sin without excusing it away. He was repentant and that is why God forgave him. When we admit our guilt and we do not wish to continue in that path, God forgives us, too. 1 JOHN 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I am so thankful for this promise.

Verses 6-7

David gives us a prayer to pray when we need forgiveness and during a time when we need to find God. He says to pray:

Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto me. You are my hiding place. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Then David asks us to Selah, or pause and wonder.

Isn't that fantastic? David is saying though our sins and troubles may seem overwhelming and like a flood of emotions washing over us, we can rest in the hiding place and be safe from trouble. The forgiveness of God will surround us with singing of our deliverance. What a beautiful picture of God's redeeming love, mercy, and grace for you and I.

Verses 8-9

In response to that prayer, God speaks to us as well. He says:

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse, or the mule, who have no understanding. Their mouth must be held in with bit and bridle to control them. Do not be like that!

Friends, if we respond to the Lord as He leads us and guides us, we will walk in the paths He has created for us. He has already gone before us and the roads may be hard at times, but they build us and strengthen us to have more faith in Him. If we trust Him we will follow His lead. If we give in to fear or selfish ambitions we are like the stubborn horses and mules who must be forced to go where they would rather not. Let's follow along in obedience.

Verses 10-11

It's hard to disobey God. It may seem easy to follow the crowd and do what we want to do with no regard to what would please the Lord, but the lifestyle is hard. Do you remember the sorrow and torment David went through? Many sorrows will be felt by the wicked. The good news is when we trust and obey the Lord and do what we know is right and pleasing in His sight, we will have mercy surrounding us. That is a wonderful blessing!

David usually gives us instructions, or something to do -- a call to action, perhaps. The last verse of this beautiful chapter is telling us to be glad in the LORD. We are to rejoice and shout for joy. Get excited about what God is doing in your life. Great things are coming your way and it will overtake you! Another verse in Psalms comes to mind along these lines. It is one of my favorite scriptures.

PSALM 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

What a wonderful time in the Word this has been. I pray it has been a blessing to you. Lord willing, I will have a blog post up tomorrow sharing what I am thankful for, and some Biblical insight to think about throughout your weekend. As always, I hope that something you have read on the blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 31 | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 31. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 24 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

Verses 1-6

David writes this psalm to God as he has done many times before. He starts by telling God he trusts Him. Do we tell God how much we trust Him? My family and I are in a really hard journey. We believe it is nearing the end. We sure hope so! I am telling God that even though I don't understand the process or His methods, I still trust Him. David asks for God to listen to his requests. He tells God he needs Him to be his Rock and fortress. He needs direction/guidance. He feels as though he is in a trap set by the enemy and He calls on God to deliver him because God is his strength. He makes a statement in verse five that we see again in the New Testament out of the mouth of Jesus. LUKE 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost. 

Jesus took His last breath to say this. Why would David say this? He is crying out for deliverance based on God's faithfulness. He knows how God has been there before and has no doubt He will hear and answer David's pleas. Jesus and David have this in common: their great faith in God's guidance over their lives. We see time and again Jesus praying to the Father for help and guidance and assurance. David has done the same thing throughout the Psalms and ends this block of text repeating how much he trusts God.

Verses 7-15

David reflects on how God has seen him through before when he was in trouble. Instead of allowing David to be handed over to his enemies, God put him in a large space which indicates freedom of movement, ability to roam freely, and it is not the trap of the enemy that he feels like he is now. Even though he trusts God, he is still in distress, so he asks for mercy. His body is feeling the grief and turmoil. He is under great stress and emotionally he is not well. He feels the effects of a lifetime of hardships, battles, and fighting. He felt isolated, alone, even from those he was acquainted with. He felt forgotten, and useless, like a broken vessel. Have you ever been there? Yesterday was that day for me. It was torment and pain in the depths of my soul but my anchor is Jesus and I hung on with all the strength I could muster.

David felt like he was surrounded by enemies. He could hear those slander and gossip about him. He felt fear on every side. They took counsel about David and chose death for him. I have felt the sting of harsh words and gossip. I have heard a family member say some pretty hurtful, untrue things about my family and myself and it felt like we had no one but each other. We felt abandoned and there was fear and torment in that moment. Do you know who else experienced this? It was worse than what I felt. It was worse than what David went through. Let's look in the New Testament. MATTHEW 27:1-2 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death: And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. We will never understand that kind of fear, turmoil, and stress as knowing you are walking to your death. Jesus knew it. He knew He had to be crucified for the people. He knew His Father's Plan.

I love the way David says it in verses 14 and 15. "But I trusted in Thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in Thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." David reiterates that even though he sees the circumstances for what they are: evil, he still maintains his trust in God.

Verses 16-22

David wants God's face to shine upon him and be merciful to him. He wants to not be put to shame for trusting God. In fact, he wants those who do not trust God to be ashamed. He asks for them to be silenced from speaking ill toward the children of God. He is encouraged when he thinks of God's goodness. David says, "Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; and those that trust You." (verse 19) We have put our trust in God so we can count on Him to show up in love and mercy and shower His goodness upon us. We are not alone. He hides us and shields us from the mouth of the enemy. David thought he was as good as dead, but he now sees God heard his prayers and came to his rescue! He will do the same for us.

Verses 23-24

David ends this beautiful chapter with instructions for us. Let's read it together:

"O love the LORD, all ye His saints; for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer." In other words, God will save and keep us who are faithful to Him. He will also give a generous reward to the proud doer, but their reward is nothing His children would ever want. We do not want to be prideful and arrogant. They will receive their reward in the end for disobeying God and not trusting Him.

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." My situation did not change today from yesterday, but my sister prayed for me. My friend prayed for me and I do not know who all prayed but I can say that today I feel so much better. I have peace where I had fear. I have hope when I had despair. I am trusting God no matter how bleak things look right now. I know God is going to see our family through this adversity and we will come out stronger for it and hopefully will be able to encourage others in their times of waiting and wondering.

Friends, I started a new job and it has been a varied schedule of training and learning and working on my own, so I hope to have a better routine to get these blog posts up earlier. In the meantime, I will do my best to post as often as I can. I hope you have been encouraged and helped. I sure feel like God was telling me that He sees me in my pain and my struggling and He is not far off looking down at me, but He is near to me and walking through this valley with not only me and my family, but any of you who are experiencing trials and tribulations as well. Let's pray for one another.

God bless you friends.

~Bridgett Owens

So Many Blessings | Thankful Thursday

Last week I missed my Friday blog post: Fuel for the Weekend. I also missed posting my 5 Minute Friday on my YouTube channel. I had been up late waiting on my husband to get off work around midnight Friday morning. We talked a little bit and then I went to sleep because I had a very early doctor's appointment that I absolutely needed to keep for work. I brought home some breakfast for Javan and Paul and myself and then I laid down to take a nap. I have not been sleeping well lately and my allergies are really bothering me. My sister called me but I did not realize it. When I woke up I saw a text message from her and a missed call. My brother sent me and our other sister a text message telling us that our oldest sister was in an accident with our brother-in-law.

I immediately called her and found that she was in the Emergency Room. They had been hit by another driver who was going too fast in the rainy conditions. They tried to swerve to avoid the person but was hit head on. Their vehicle flipped and struck a tree which came crashing down into their sunroof area. Glass went everywhere including my sister's hair. My brother-in-law suffered no major injuries. My sister has a fracture in her knee. God had his hands on them and the person who hit them was not injured at all. He was driving so fast because he was late for a meeting.

I let my brother and our other sister know what was going on. I called my mom and she was at her friend's house, a wonderful woman of God, and we began to pray. My aunt called and had the prayer chain going in Florida, where she used to live. Other prayer chains began to go around here in Indiana. I believe heaven was bombarded with prayer for them and God was right with them all along in Tennessee. He has been doing one miraculous thing after another for them and I give God all the glory. She goes back to the doctor soon and is expecting them to not find anything wrong with her leg. They said she might need surgery to fix the fracture. But we know God heals and delivers and saves and sets free. We believe He is going to get all the glory, honor, and praise for all that He is doing! It is coming in ripples!!!

Please do continue to pray for my sister and brother-in-law. Their car is totaled and we all understand what a hassle dealing with insurance companies can be. She is in a wheelchair and unable to bear weight on that leg, but we know God is already working it all out.

Today I am so thankful for my sister and brother-in-law to be spared and for the gifts and callings on their life. They love the LORD with all their heart and are never too busy to pray for others in need. I am so thankful for them and for what God is doing in their lives and in the life of their son, my sweet nephew! He is now in the family of God, gave his heart to the Lord and is getting baptized! What a wonderful work He is doing in their lives. I am so thankful.

What are you thankful for today? I am counting my blessings and there are so many other things I do not have the time or space to write about that He is doing in our lives. I am also thankful for my new job and how God has worked out all those details and allowed me to be able to see my son off to his first day of high school. He had a wonderful day and I am so thankful. God is answering so many of our prayers!!

EPHESIANS 3:20-21 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 30 | Bible Study Wednesday

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 30. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 12 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

It occurred to me that last week I jumped ahead to Psalm 40. I do not know why I did that. I remember thinking that it could not possibly be the 40th week of the year, but I was doing multiple things and ignored the Holy Spirit trying to tell me I was not in the correct Psalm for that week. So, today and each week moving forward I will do my best to stay on track and then we will skip Psalm 40 and move to Psalm 41 through Psalm 52 to finish the year. God works all things together for good to them who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I truly believe that the timing is correct for this particular psalm in my life and I am thankful to be studying it today.

Verse 1

Psalm 30 was a song at the dedication of the house of David. To extol means to enthusiastically praise. This particular psalm is David's excitement and great delight for many things God is doing. In this specific verse David is thankful for the victory God gave him over his enemies. What can we see in our own lives right now that looking back we see God's hands delivering us and uplifting us to victorious places? Can we, like David, extol God?

Verse 2

This verse is underlined in my Bible. As someone who suffers with a chronic illness, it has been a beautiful reminder that God is healing me and helping me with all that I am going through. When we call upon our Heavenly Father, He will hear us and heal us. He is the Great Physician. He is the God who heals us.

EXODUS 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Today if you need healing in your body, or you know someone that does, listen to God's voice and do what is right in His sight, obey His Laws and Commandments and this promise is for you to claim! He is the God that heals you!

Verse 3

David was critically ill and God healed his body. He was facing death and maybe you have had a bad diagnosis or you may have suffered to the point you thought you might die; trust God to heal you and He will do it! David is enthusiastically praising God because he was facing a life-threatening condition and God healed him. He was about to die and be buried and God healed him and gave him a fresh lease on life.

Verse 4

David wants the saints to join him in thanking God and remembering the times the LORD moved on our behalf before. How many prayers has He answered? How many big and mighty things has our great God Jehovah done for us? Can we recall how God is Holy and is not changed by what is going on in our world today? He sits high and lifted up on His throne and He is Sovereign. He is Holy. He is Mighty and Great in power! Yes, let's pause this Bible study to worship who He is and thank Him for all that He has done on our behalf. He is still working out details and putting plans together. It is incredible and we are blessed to have a Holy and Righteous Heavenly Father that loves us so much He continues to bless us.

PSALM 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation, Selah.

Verse 5

This is a familiar verse, and also underlined in my Bible. This is a character reference of God. He does get angry. He is a Holy God and when we are not living according to His holy Laws and Commands, we make Him angry. He expects us to live in holiness. But His anger does not last a long time. David says it only lasts a moment. He favors His children with love and life and even though we may cry all night and mourn in the dark seasons of life, we are promised a morning of joy. There will be a breakthrough of praise and overflowing joy in our lives as we overcome the hardships and trials in life.

Verses 6-7

This passage reminds me of the proverb about pride coming before the fall. When we are puffed up and think we have it made, we may have our head up so high we fail to see the stumbling block in our path and down we go!

PROVERBS 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

I like the way the Message translation says these two verses, "When things were going great I crowed, "I've got it made. I'm GOD's favorite. He made me king of the mountain." Then You looked the other way and I fell to pieces."

What have we been asking God and believing that He will do something big and mighty for us? What has He done for us that we had no way of ever being able to do for ourselves? Have we taken the credit? Have we had prideful thoughts and like David thought we had it made? It's all smooth sailing from here? Be careful because God does not want us to get puffed up about our blessings. We are to be thankful and grateful but hold them with loose grips. We are loaned these things but they are not ours to keep forever. Vehicles break down. Homes need maintenance. Relationships require effort on your part to continue to flourish. Careers can end. Bodies can become weak or ill. Let's thank God for what we are blessed with but never get puffed up because of where God puts us. He can as easily bring us down low as He can exalt us in due time.

Verses 8-10

David recognizes his mistake. He goes to God, and he cries out in supplication. Remember supplication is humbly and earnestly begging for something. David's plea is for God to redeem him. He asks what good is it if he dies? Can the dust praise God? Will the dust share God's truth? David begs for mercy and asks God sincerely for His help. You see, friends, we are nothing apart from God. He is our Creator. He is our Heavenly Father. He is our friend. He sent us our Redeemer. Jesus loves us so much that He has redeemed us with His precious blood.

If you find yourself puffed up and proud when you should be meek and humble and grateful, turn to God. Repent of the sin of pride and open your heart to His love and mercy and grace. Ask for His help and trust that He will not leave you in the condition you are in. He is too merciful and too loving to do that to His children who truly are sorry.

Verses 11-12

When our change comes, when the times of refreshing wash over our souls, may we be like David. We can say, after He cleanses us, that God has turned my mourning into dancing. I am no longer sad about what I lost because I am back in His presence, dancing before the Lord. Instead of sackcloth and ashes and fasting, God has given me a garment of praise and gladness, so that I may praise You God and not be silent. I will thank You forever!

ISAIAH 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called the trees of Righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.

Today's Bible study was so precious to me. I hope that you all have a wonderful day. I pray that something shared on my blog today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

We Are Important to God | Thankful Thursday

This is the final week of summer vacation for my son! He has had an eventful summer and did a lot of things on his summer bucket list, but we just couldn't get to everything on there. It's hard to believe we are enjoying the last few days of July. Monday we start August and three days into next month Javan starts high school. Time is just gone! But I had to take some time this evening to count my blessings with all of you. Are you ready?

I wanted to thank God for loving me so much that He thinks about me. I am not an afterthought. I am not forgotten or ignored. God literally thinks about me and has included me in His amazing plan for this world and for His Kingdom. Do you know that you are important to God? You and I are always on our Father's mind! That makes me feel so good to realize I am on His mind.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What a promise! Jesus said this and it is true. We know God loved us so much that Jesus, God's own Son, stood in the gap between us and God and with His precious blood, Jesus paid for our sins. He could have pardoned us and that would have been enough! That was the ultimate sacrifice! But, Jesus did not just come to bail us out of sin. He came to give us life more abundant.

A more abundant life is not the addition of material possessions. It is the addition of peace, love, joy, patience, kindness, meekness, gentleness, goodness, and faith. It is not having the absence of problems, but living in God's presence where there is fullness of joy! What a blessing!

Friends, I am thankful that you and I matter to God. If we will turn our hearts toward Him, we will live an abundant life like we have never known. Trust Him! He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. I hope you will count your blessings with me today. What are you grateful for on this Thankful Thursday?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 40 | Wednesday Bible Study

Welcome back to Bible Study Wednesday! This year God has pressed upon my heart to study the book of Psalms. Each Wednesday we take a closer look at a new chapter. Today we are going to chapter 40. If you have not done so, please take the time to read through these 17 verses. I will be sharing some thoughts about today's passage and break down this chapter below. Please pray and ask Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes and ears to receive everything He has to teach you in today's passage. Let's begin!

This particular Psalm of David is about how God has answered his prayers in the past and a request for God to be faithful again. It is a testament of God's goodness and mercy. David knows he can trust and rely on God because God has never failed him. God has been faithful and just and Holy all through David's life. He knows that God is with him and helps him. Before we dive in fully to this study today, let's reflect on what we are asking God to do for us, and let's not forget the times He came through for us when we had nothing and no one else.

Verse 1

Are we patiently waiting for God to answer us, or are we impatiently waiting? There is no middle ground here, but one day can vary from the next. Some days I am waiting patiently for God to work everything out so we can have our own home again. I am content in knowing that I am in a temporary situation and it will soon end.

Other times, I am impatiently waiting. I have been guilty of going to God in prayer and in exasperation. I submit a list of good things I have done that should somehow hurry God up to get us to our intended destination. Yet, my works and my good effort has nothing to do with how God is working things out. He is moving things and changing things and rearranging things so that it will all fall into place up to the very smallest and last detail. How could I possibly be of any help to Him?

I have grumbled and complained and tried to change my circumstances on my own. God allowed me to try. He knew the outcome would not be what I wanted but it would show me that He is in control and I am not; and He has a far better plan than I do. He wants me to have a wonderful, blessed, and full life, but it includes storms, pain, suffering, and hardship. That is not what I had in mind at all, and yet the toughest valleys and darkest days were some of the best times of training and learning the character of God.

The last part  of this first verse is God listened and heard David's pleas. He is listening to us. We are His children and He loves us. Of course He is listening to us, but David was patiently waiting. It is something for us to pause and think about. How are we waiting for what we asked God to do?

Verses 2-3

David said God brought him up out of a horrible pit. Sometimes the pits we fall into are despair, suffering, lack, hunger, loneliness, and anger. What horrible pit has God pulled you up out of?

David said the pit he was in had miry clay for the bottom. Mire is deep slushy mud. I do not know about you but I deeply dislike getting dirty, and that includes getting mud on me. I will walk out of my way to avoid mud and dirt. This pit David says he was in is not a physical pit, though it could have been. Think of the situations that felt dirty, chaotic, disorganized, unpleasant, and where you felt like you were on a merry-go-round or roller coaster spinning out of control. Maybe you felt like nothing you did gave you any traction. David said he was there and God took him out of that environment and set his feet upon a rock.

There's something comforting about standing on a solid rock. I was at the ocean in Alabama and I had been on some uneven rocks and sand and it was hard to walk on. I was slowing down my pace so I didn't hurt myself or fall. But once I felt the cold rock beneath my bare feet I felt secure and steady. I smiled and I could hold my head up again and look at the beauty around me. I was no longer so careful to stare at the ground in front of me and watch each step I took.

David said God established his goings once he was on the Rock. The Rock is the revelation of who Jesus Christ is. Jesus asked His disciples who He was. Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Matthew 16:17-19 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Not only did Jesus change Peter's identity and give him a new name, but He gave him the power to bind and loose things on earth and in heaven. David was granted his requests when he went to the Rock of Ages with his petitions.

God never blesses us for us alone. It is always so we can bless others. We can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling along that we can make it with God's help! We can witness to unbelievers and tell them of the goodness of God. Like, David we will have a new song to sing. We will praise God so that many will see it and fear God and come to trust in Him.

Verse 4

David tells us that those who trust in God are blessed. When we do not put the prideful and arrogant on a pedestal, or think highly of dishonest and corrupt leaders, we are blessed. There is no benefit to walking with those who dishonor God. There is no blessing tied to their lifestyle or beliefs. We are to trust in God alone to help us be successful and kind and share the message of His Kingdom with everyone we know.

Verse 5

How many answered prayers have you received from God in your lifetime? How often has God turned bad situations into good for you? How many times has He healed your body or your loved one's body because you prayed and asked? Think of all the times God protected and rescued us from dangers we never saw coming! I love this verse. David says, "MANY are the works of You God and they are WONDERFUL and Your thoughts toward us are so plentiful that if we began to count them and put them in order, they could not be numbered for the bountiful blessings You have given us!"

I used to sing a song at church called I Have Been Blessed and part of the verse says:

If the pen of a writer, could write everyday

Even this world could never contain

How I've been blessed.

The chorus says,

I have been blessed God's so good to me.

Precious are His thoughts of you and me.

No way I could count them.

There's not enough time.

So I'll just thank Him for being so kind.

God has been good, so good, I have been blessed.

Verses 6-8

God is not asking us to sacrifice everything and offer up special gifts to Him. He enjoys when we give and do things for Him, but He wants our heart. He wants our attention and our time. David says, "I delight to do Your will God, and Your Law is within my heart." I want to echo that. May my life be a love story to God about how much I adore Him and serve Him. He is worth loving. He is worth getting to know and to understand His ways as best as we can, David says God has opened his ears. Are your ears open to the voice of Holy Spirit? Are you tuned in to His still small voice? Are you hearing His instructions?

Verses 9-10

David preached Righteousness in the great congregation. King David had BIG influence and the people loved him. He has an opportunity to promote himself but he chooses to promote God and His power and love and goodness. He said, "God You know I have not refrained my lips from speaking the truth." We must ask for boldness to witness to our unsaved coworkers and neighbors. If David can share the Good News with a whole nation, we surely can share the goodness of God with those we come into contact with. David says, "I have not kept Your faithfulness, salvation, lovingkindness, and Your truth a secret. I shared it God." Can we say that? Let's pray that we have a desire to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone!

Verses 11-13

David makes a plea to God for deliverance. The situation he is in feels overwhelming and he feels outnumbered. Have you ever been there? Has the problems seemed to outweigh the good? Run to God. Let your prayer be the same as David's. "God, let it please You to deliver me. Hurry to help me God." Yes, I pray that today.

Verses 14-15

David wants his enemies to be ashamed and confused that try to destroy his soul. We have an enemy who is trying to destroy our souls, but God has placed us in the palm of His hand and we are untouchable from the enemy. The devil can wear us out and beat on us in this world, but he cannot destroy our soul! One day he will be banished forever! Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. One day it will be all over for the devil.

Verse 16

Do you love God? Is Jesus your Savior? If so, then this verse is for you! Let's exalt His Name on high. Let's say, "The LORD be magnified!" I exalt the name of Jesus. I praise Him for what He has done for me. I thank Him that He saved me and chooses to use me. I am nothing apart from Him. He is the reason I am here today. I love Him so much. I praise Him and I could not even get through today's Bible study without a praise and worship session of how wonderful God is to His children. He is wonderful in all of His ways. Even when we are in circumstances we can't see how we will make it through, we can worship Him and love Him because He is worthy of all praise and honor. Our situations don't change God's worth and as we worship Him and thank Him for all He is doing in our lives, we will see the miraculous happen as He begins to turn around all the evil for good in our lives! I have seen it happen over and over again.

Verse 17

I love the way this psalm ends. I am poor and needy, yet You think about me, God. You choose to think about me and love me. You have not forgotten about us. God when the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months, and the months into years, may we never forget that You have Your eyes on us and You are working everything out. Thank You Jesus for thinking about us and being mindful of us. What a wonderful and kind Risen King You are!

Friends, I hope this has been a thought-provoking study. I want us to take away from today's study that God sees us and loves us and is blessing us. He is going to make all things new and sometimes it hurts to go through the pruning process but in the end we will yield so much more fruit. Let me know in the comments if you are enjoying studying the Psalms with me this year. I always appreciate your feedback and love studying with you each week! My prayer is something you have read today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

The Anatomy of Healing the Blind | Fuel for the Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel for the Weekend. It's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend. If it leads to discussions with your family and friends, even better!

Have you ever thought about how miraculous it is for a person blind from birth to see? It is mind-boggling. We have an account in John chapter nine that I want to dissect. I broke this chapter into ten parts and I could do a ten week series on it but since this is in written form, I want to just keep the points only in this post and you can then study it on your own and chew on it a little longer, if you want.

The Healing (verses 1-7)

So to get started, we are going to look at the first seven verses. The text starts out with Jesus seeing a man as He passes by and the man was blind since birth. The disciples, much like many people today, were quick to ask which parent was the sinner that caused him to be born blind. It was a common thought that if a child was born with an infirmity it must be the mom or dad's fault. Jesus was quick to say that it was neither the blind man, nor either of his parents that sinned. This particular man was born blind and grew up in that manner so that God could do a miracle in his life and help others to believe in God. Jesus states that He is the Light of the World and in the next two verses He spits on the ground, making a clay eye mask, and places it on the man's eyes. He then tells the man to go to the pool of Siloam, which is interpreted to mean Sent and the man did that and he came back with eye sight! It is incredible! That could have been the end and that would have been a wonderful account of God's goodness, love, and mercy and miraculous power, but we have so much more to read.

The Doubting (verses 8-9)

Imagine the neighbors the blind man grew up around. Many knew him and could attest that he was blind. Now that he came back seeing, it startled everyone. People started to doubt. Some said, "This is the blind man that sat and begged." Others said, "No, it is not him, but it sure looks like him." There was doubting and people going back and forth. Finally the man said, "Yes, it is me. I once was blind, but now I see!" What an incredible testimony he had!!!

The Questioning (verses 10-15) 

They did not rejoice with the boy. There was no celebration. The interrogation began. Everyone wanted to know how he got his vision when he never had it before. He told them how Jesus made clay, anointed his eyes, sent him to the pool called Sent, and that he went and washed and received his sight!

They demand to know where Jesus is. They were not seeking Him out to thank Him for healing the man. He said he did not know where Jesus went. So they drag the young man to the Pharisees. You see, this was no ordinary day, it was the Sabbath and the Pharisees made up a bunch of impossible-to-follow rules about the Sabbath and even they were not able to avoid breaking the rules.

The Accusing (verses 16-18)

The Pharisees demand to know how he received sight. The young man rehearsed it all over again so they could hear it. They immediately speak lies against Jesus. They said, "He is not of God because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others spoke out and said, "How could he be healed if Jesus is a sinner? Sinners do not have this kind of authority and power." So there was a division among them. They could not even agree whether or not God did this powerful, miraculous deed. Who else opens the eyes of the blind but God?

They want to know what the man thinks about Jesus who has healed him. The man said, "He is a prophet." The Jews heard that and decided the man was making the whole thing up and that he was not even blind until they asked his parents.

The Fearing (verses 19-23)

They asked the parents if this was their son and they confirmed it was. They asked them how the man was able to see now, even though he was born blind. The parents said that he had indeed been born blind but they had no idea how he was able to see now. They said, "Further we do not know the man that did this but our son is of age, so let him answer himself."

We need to understand what is going on here. They were about to be kicked out of the synagogue. They were scared of the religious leaders at that time because they had boasted, "If any man confesses Jesus is the Christ, they will be put out of the synagogue." This was especially meaningful because of the power that came with the religious leaders of that day. They were too scared to answer anything, so they throw their son under the bus and say, "Ask him!"

The Interrogating (verses 24-26

Now they are trying to intimidate the man. They demanded, "Give God the praise! We know that this Man is a sinner." The man spoke up, "I do not know if he is a sinner or not, but one thing I know, that I once was blind and now I see." That should have been cause for jubilee and celebration! No one was moved by the boy's answer.

Now they are applying the pressure. "Who was He? What did He do to you to cause you to see? How did He open your eyes?" They wanted to find something amiss, or shady, that they could say, "See? I told you He was a phony!" But they could not do it. They were speaking despicably of the Son of the Living God.

The Enlightening (verses 27-33)

You can feel the tension in the air as these men demand answers and the former blind man is telling the same thing over and over and over and they refuse to believe it. They want to find a reason to hate Jesus more. They want a reason to kill Jesus and they are not able to find anything against Him because Jesus is the Son of God. 

The healed man said, "I have told you already, and you did not listen. Do you want me to repeat myself? Are you interested in being His disciples?" This man has had enough. Something incredible and marvelous has happened to him and instead of enjoying his sight and being able to look at things he has never seen before, he is being berated by these religious, heartless men.

They countered, "You are His disciple. We are Moses's disciples. We know God talked to Moses, but we do not even know where this Man comes from." They opened their mouth and openly confessed that because they did not know enough about Jesus, they were going to condemn Him. They felt they had the authority to judge King Jesus!

I have no idea what religious teachings this man had heard or studied, but watch his reply to the religious leaders.

"This marvelous thing happened, and you don't know where He comes from, and yet He has opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners: but God does hear from those that worship God and do the will of God. Since the world began it was never heard that any man could open the eyes of one that was born blind. If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing."

I don't know about you, but I want to stand up and start cheering. Yes! This is wisdom. This is truth! But for those who would rather have rules and rituals than a real relationship with Jesus Christ, they will never be convinced.

The Casting Out (verse 34)

Now they look down their nose on this man. They insult him and banish him from their clubhouse. "You were born in sin and you dare teach us?" Such arrogance! They refused to even listen to the man who has been transformed and given the gift of sight. What a shame!

The Saving (verses 35-39)

It's okay if others kick you out of their church, their Bible study, their cliques. Let them! They are doing you a favor. Watch God put you in higher places because of it. He has not forgotten you. Watch how He treats the man who now can see and is an outcast.

The Bible says Jesus heard they kicked him out of the synagogue, and Jesus went looking for him. Jesus did not stop until He found him and this is what He said. "Do you believe on the Son of God?"

The man said, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?"

Jesus answered, "You have both seen Him, and it is He that is talking to you."

The man said, "I believe." He worshiped Jesus. He was thankful for the sight; not just the physical sight, but the spiritual sight as well.

Jesus's beautiful reply is, "I came to this world for judgment, so that they that do not see might see, and they that see might be made blind."

What a beautiful expression. He came to open all of our eyes to His wonderful truth. But He knew that some would profess to see truth, and would remain blind. They refuse to hear what Jesus has to say. They failed to trust what they saw Him do. If it did not match their cookie cutter mold of what religion should be, they did not want any part of it.

The Clarifying (verses 40-41)

Of course there were some Pharisees that watched this whole thing. They asked Jesus, "Are we blind, also?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you should have no sin: but now you say, 'We see,' therefore your sin remains."

If we go to Jesus and we think we are good enough, kind enough, religious enough, then we are blind to our need of a Savior. We will miss out on having our sins washed clean by His blood. If we can open our eyes to see that we are wicked and inherently evil creatures and left to our own devices we would destroy one another; and if we can see we have flaws and failures only Jesus can fix, then we will go from blinded eyes to seeing clearly.

How is your sight? I hope you are like our friend in today's text: I hope you once was blind but now you see!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens