When the disciples saw a man who had been blind from birth, they asked Jesus whose sin was to blame. Jesus turned their attention to what God was about to do in him. He spat on the ground, made mud, and put it on the man’s eyes. Then He told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man still couldn’t see, and now he had mud on his eyes. Mud hardly looks like something that would help a man see. He had Jesus’ word to go on, and he set out for the pool while he was still blind. We can spend so much time asking God to show us how things will turn out that we stand still when He’s already made the next step plain. This man did what Jesus told him before he could see what would come of it. He went to Siloam, washed, and came back seeing.

When we hear God’s Word, we must answer. We must do what He tells us, even when we cannot see the end result.

“He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.” —John 9:7

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There was a famine in Gilgal when Elisha told his servant to put on a big pot of stew. One of the men went out for herbs and came back with a lapful of wild gourds. He cut them up and dropped them into the pot. When the men began to eat, they cried out that there was death in the pot. Sometimes we find out what we’ve added to a situation only after somebody else has had a taste of it. Elisha asked for flour, threw it into the same pot, and told them to serve the stew again. The pot they couldn’t eat from became the pot that fed them. When something we meant to make better turns out worse, we can tell God plainly what we put into it and ask Him to help us put it right.

“And there was no harm in the pot.” —2 Kings 4:41

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When they came to arrest Jesus, His disciples scattered. Only a little while before, He’d told them to watch and pray. One young man was still following Him with only a linen cloth wrapped around him. When the men grabbed him, he slipped out of the cloth and ran. He got away from the men, and now he was running into the night, away from Jesus, with nothing to cover him. When a verse in the Bible gets hold of us, we can slip away in a hurry too. We can shut the book, find something to keep us busy, and by supper we may have forgotten the verse altogether. What it showed us is still there. Sometimes the fight is right there at the kitchen table, in that moment when we’d rather close the Bible. That’s when those words from the garden come back to us. “Watch and pray.” We can leave the Bible open, read the verse again, and ask the Lord to help us face what He just showed us.

“And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” —Mark 14:52

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Benaiah went down into a pit and killed a lion. A lion would have been plenty to face on level ground in good weather. Benaiah faced his down in a pit on a snowy day. We have our own ways of waiting for better weather. We know we owe someone an apology, and a week goes by while we wait for it to feel easier to say. Sometimes waiting is wise. When we already know what God asks of us, though, it’s easy to keep saying “tomorrow” until another week goes by. Today may be the day to do what’s right.

“Also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.” —1 Chronicles 11:22

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The governor of Cyprus sent for Paul and Barnabas because he wanted to hear the word of God. Elymas, a sorcerer, tried to turn him away from the faith. Paul told Elymas that the Lord’s hand was upon him and that he would be blind for a time. Darkness fell on him at once. The man who had tried to lead the governor away now needed someone to lead him by the hand. The governor saw what happened and believed, astonished at the Lord’s teaching. Don’t let anyone talk you out of hearing what God has to say.

“Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” —Acts 13:12

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When the Ammonites threatened Jabesh-Gilead, Saul came to the town’s rescue. Years later, word reached Jabesh that the Philistines had hung Saul’s body on the wall of Beth-shan. The men of Jabesh traveled through the night, took down his body and those of his sons, and brought them back for burial. When David heard what they had done, he called it kindness. Saul could do nothing more for the people he had once helped. They still had something they could do for him. Who has done you a kindness you still have time to return?

“Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.” —2 Samuel 2:5

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Demetrius made silver shrines for Diana. When Paul’s preaching turned people away from idols, the silversmith warned his fellow craftsmen that their trade and Diana’s honor were in danger. The uproar spilled into the theater, where most of the crowd had no idea why they had gathered. Before long they were shouting with one voice, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” They kept it up for about two hours. It’s easy to get swept up in a cause when the people around us sound sure of it. Ephesus gives us a reason to pause before adding our voice. A whole theater could agree on what to shout while most of the people in it couldn’t say why they were there.

“Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused: and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.” —Acts 19:32

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Jezebel had used Ahab’s royal seal to arrange false testimony against Naboth. Naboth was killed, and Ahab took his vineyard. The Lord spoke through Elijah about what would happen to Jezebel at Jezreel. When Jehu came to the city, she painted her face, arranged her hair, and called down to him from a window. At Jehu’s command, the men beside her threw her down. When he heard what the men sent to bury her had found, Jehu remembered the word of the Lord. The woman whose letters had brought about Naboth’s death had come to the end God foretold. We can mistake getting away with something today for getting away with it altogether. When God’s Word shows us we’re wrong, “today” is the day to turn back to Him.

“And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” —1 Kings 21:23

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The church was praying for Peter while Herod held him in prison. The Lord sent an angel to lead him out, and Peter went to Mary’s house, where many had gathered to pray. Rhoda recognized his voice at the gate and was so glad she ran to tell the others before opening it. They told her she was mad. She kept insisting, Peter kept knocking, and when they finally opened the gate, they were astonished. We can pray sincerely and still be surprised by what God does. Sometimes we’ve pictured an answer so narrowly that we dismiss what’s right in front of us. The prison gate had opened on its own. At the house where they’d been praying for him, Peter had to keep knocking.

“But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.” —Acts 12:16

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After Abimelech killed his brothers, the people of Shechem made him king. Jotham escaped the slaughter and stood on Mount Gerizim to tell them a story. The trees wanted a king. The olive, the fig, and the vine each refused to leave what they had to offer. Then the trees asked a bramble to reign. A thornbush offered them its shade and warned that fire could come from it and burn even the cedars. Jotham wanted Shechem to look at the man they had put their trust in and remember what he had already done to get the crown. We face a choice like theirs whenever someone offers to look after us if we’ll overlook the wrong they do. Before taking shelter under a promise, look at what’s casting the shadow.

“If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow.” —Judges 9:15

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In Ephesus, God was doing remarkable things through Paul. Seven brothers, the sons of Sceva, tried calling on “Jesus whom Paul preacheth” to drive out an evil spirit. The spirit knew Jesus and knew Paul. Who were they? The man they had tried to help overpowered them, and they fled the house naked and wounded. When word spread through Ephesus, people honored the name of Jesus, and many who believed came forward and confessed what they had done. The brothers had used His name to get a result. Those who believed responded by bringing their own lives before Him. We can learn the words of a prayer from someone else. The trust we place in Jesus has to be our own.

“And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” —Acts 19:15

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The men from Gibeon came to Joshua with patched sandals and moldy bread. They said the bread had been fresh when they left home. Surely they had come a long way. Israel’s leaders took some of their provisions and made peace with them without asking the Lord for counsel. Three days later they learned that these travelers were their neighbors. The bread was as stale as it looked. The story behind it was false. We can be just as sure of a decision when everything we see seems to agree. Before we give our word, there’s still time to bring the matter to God in prayer and weigh it against what He has already said.

“And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” —Joshua 9:14

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Paul had survived a shipwreck when a viper fastened onto his hand as he added sticks to a fire on Malta. The islanders decided he must be a murderer whom justice would not allow to live. He shook the snake into the fire and suffered no harm. After waiting for him to collapse, they changed their minds and called him a god. Their confidence had survived two opposite conclusions without making either one true. We can be just as quick to turn someone’s troubles into evidence against them, then mistake their success for proof that everything they do is right. God had preserved Paul, but the crowd had misunderstood both his danger and his deliverance. Before passing judgment on another person’s life, we should remember how much we do not know. A snakebite did not make Paul a murderer, and surviving it did not make him a god.

“Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.” —Acts 28:6

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After Israel’s victory over Sisera, Deborah and Barak sang of those who had willingly joined the struggle. Yet their song also named Meroz, whose inhabitants had failed to come to the Lord’s help against the mighty. The angel of the Lord pronounced a curse upon them. Their absence had not escaped His notice. We can measure our conduct by the wrong we have avoided while overlooking the good we have left undone. A person needs help, truth needs defending, or a responsibility belongs to us—and we leave it for someone else. Meroz gives us reason to examine those empty places in our obedience. God sees the help we withhold as clearly as the deeds we perform. When faithfulness calls for action, doing nothing is still a choice.

“Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.” —Judges 5:23

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David took Bathsheba, another man’s wife, and arranged for her husband, Uriah, to die in battle. He then married her, but God sent Nathan to confront him. The prophet told of a rich man who stole a poor man’s beloved lamb. David angrily condemned the thief—until Nathan answered, “Thou art the man.” The king could recognize another man’s cruelty while carrying his own unconfessed guilt. We can do the same, finding words for everyone else’s wrongdoing while finding excuses for ours. David finally said, “I have sinned against the LORD,” and Nathan assured him that God had put away his sin. Forgiveness did not undo the harm, but concealment had offered no remedy at all. Peace with God begins where our excuses end.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” —Proverbs 28:13

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An oxgoad belonged with cattle, yet in Shamgar’s hands it became a weapon against the Philistines. Judges records that he killed six hundred men with it and delivered Israel. The account is brief, but that unlikely tool is worth remembering. We can spend so much time noticing what we lack that we dismiss what we have: a useful skill, a little time, an opportunity to help. Shamgar’s oxgoad gives us reason to reconsider what seems inadequate. We cannot promise ourselves his extraordinary victory, but we can put what we have to faithful use instead of waiting for something more impressive. An ordinary tool does not set the limits of an almighty God.

“And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.” —Judges 3:31

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Israel had served King Eglon for eighteen years when the people cried to the Lord. God raised up Ehud to deliver them. Carrying a dagger beneath his clothing, the left-handed man gained a private audience with Eglon, killed him, and escaped. He then led Israel against Moab, and the land rested for eighty years. The tribute Israel had carried to its oppressor was no longer due. Eighteen years of servitude had ended. We can carry a burden so long that we begin treating it as permanent, expecting tomorrow to belong to whatever has dominated yesterday. Israel’s cry reminds us to bring even our oldest troubles before God. Their years beneath Eglon had never placed them beyond His help. What has ruled our days has never ruled our God.

“So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.” —Judges 3:30

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Balaam struck his donkey three times for refusing to carry him forward. She could see what he could not: the angel of the Lord blocking the road with a drawn sword. God opened her mouth, and she questioned his treatment of her. Then He opened Balaam’s eyes. The angel told him that the donkey’s turning aside had saved his life. Balaam had been punishing the very creature keeping him from danger. We can become so determined to press ahead that every interruption feels like an offense. Anger comes easily when we assume we understand everything standing in our way. Balaam’s opened eyes give us reason to pause, listen, and accept correction before insisting that everyone else is the problem. The interruption we resent may be the mercy we need.

“Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.” —Numbers 22:31

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Deborah told Barak that the Lord would deliver Sisera into a woman’s hands. After God routed his army, the commander fled to Jael’s tent and fell asleep. There, she killed him with a tent peg and hammer. The man who commanded nine hundred iron chariots had fallen to a woman with household tools, just as Deborah had foretold. We can become so impressed by rank, resources, and reputation that we overlook people who possess none of them. Yet God’s work has never depended upon our list of important people. Jael’s place in this victory gives us reason to look beyond impressive credentials when considering whom He can use. Nine hundred chariots could not keep God’s word from reaching one tent.

“So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.” —Judges 4:23

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Frightened by the Philistine army and receiving no answer from God, Saul disguised himself and visited a medium at Endor. He asked her to bring up Samuel. Yet Samuel’s message confronted him with the word he had already disobeyed: God had taken the kingdom from him, and defeat and death lay ahead. Saul had sought direction through a forbidden practice, but it offered no escape from God’s judgment. Fear can make us eager for any voice that promises an answer. We can become so determined to know what comes next that we disregard what God has already made clear. Saul’s night at Endor warns us to examine where we turn when we are desperate. Wanting an answer badly does not make every source worth consulting. A forbidden road does not become safe because we are frightened.

“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;” —1 Chronicles 10:13

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