Today’s Scripture: Mark 8:23, John 4:35
Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him away from the village—his familiar space. Imagine the apprehension the man must have felt. He was being removed from the known to the unknown—by a perfect Stranger. There must have been something about Jesus that communicated confidence and faith into this man’s spirit, because he willingly followed.
Scripture is unclear whether the blind man actually lived in the village, or if it was a place where he sat and begged each day. It could have been his working territory where his daily needs were met by a few generous people.
If we ever sense the Lord shaking up our lives, it might be because He knows our comfort zone can limit broader vision. Even when Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, He started by getting them out of the familiar (catching fish) into the unfamiliar (fishers of men). For over three years, these men followed the Lord throughout the region, and they saw and heard things they never would have witnessed had they stayed in their comfort zones.
When life throws you a curve and you can’t see your way through to the other side, let the Lord lead you out of your safe space and increase your vision. Anywhere He leads is always safe.
- What do you see is the significance of Jesus leading the man out of the village first?
- Where is your comfort zone? In the past, when the Lord has led you out of your place of safety, how have you responded? What were the end results?