“He went and washed, and came back seeing.”
John 9:7
Sometimes Jesus healed sick people by speaking to them, other times He laid His hands on them. But this blind man’s healing was not the work of a moment, it was the result of a process. “He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’…So he went and washed, and came back seeing” (v. 7 NKJV). Question: How far away was the pool of Siloam? For a blind man, any journey is a long one. Picture this man with mud in his eyes, trying to navigate his way to the pool of Siloam. There’s an important lesson here. Even when God touches us, sometimes we’ve got to walk with our mess until we get to the place of healing, freedom, and deliverance. And here’s another thought. Whoever told this man about Jesus, and brought him to Jesus, had to keep walking with him until he got his sight back and could walk on his own. You can’t say to someone who’s struggling with a problem, “I told you about Jesus, and I even brought you to church. But you’re still stumbling around in darkness bound by the same problems, so I give up.” God never gives up on people, and we must not give up on them either. When someone continues to struggle with an old habit, some Christians say they mustn’t really be saved. Question: How often do you give in to resentment, pride, lust, greed, gossip, etc.? The list is endless, yet God doesn’t give up on you. Sometimes people have to “walk out” their deliverance and healing until it fully comes to pass. And that’s how long you need to love them, believe in them, pray for them, and keep working with them.
