Day 16 of Illumination: You can miss what you need to see when intent on finding something else.

“As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:7-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can’t begin to even guess how many times I’ve seen this happen: someone has literally just given information and someone turns around and asks a question for which the just given information was the answer. Why does this happen? This happens because the person who asked the question (for which the answer was just given), had their mind set on the question they intended to ask, and, as such, couldn’t even hear the (just given) answer. Further, I believe that many times the person asking the question in that kind of situation was really more interested in asking the question than in receiving an answer.

Additionally, we all know situations where a very legitimate answer was given, but it was not the answer the questioner was seeking; so they continue to question.

The fact is, when we go searching for something—even if we don’t realize it—we have somewhere in our mind what the result, or the answer, or the object, should look like. This being the case, we often miss an answer that is literally right in front of us.

When my husband and I set in to make some major purchase—a piece of furniture, a car, and so on—we always pray about it, asking the Lord to direct us to what will best suit our need. I cannot tell you the number of times we have ended up with something we never would have thought would suit us like it did; yet, in retrospect, was exactly what we needed and wanted. Now, if we go out looking for a couch, for example, and we determine it has to be a specific color or style, then we may overlook some type of couch we never thought about, and yet could end up serving us, and pleasing us, very well. Indeed, there are many wonderful things we would’ve missed having if we had entered into our search with a closed mind and without asking the Lord to direct us.

Here’s one that is a little humorous: before the Lord brought Pastor Dan and myself together he was basically looking for someone that looked like his mother: fair, blue-eyed, blonde hair. I was attracted to men who looked like my father: dark hair, skin, and eyes. If you know us, you’ll know how funny that is because Pastor Dan is blonde and blue-eyed and I am not. But, the Lord brought us together in what continues to be a wonderfully blessed union for His glory.

On the other hand, I know people I feel would suit each other‘s needs very well; but they’re each looking for someone different than the person who would actually be a good fit for them. Now, I’m not one to assert my opinion into this type of situation, so I don’t say anything to them, trying to “fix them up.” But, the fact is that we cannot have closed minds regarding what we are seeking. The Lord just may have a better idea for you.

In our opening scripture we see Jesus commenting to the crowds concerning John the Baptist. He gives the question: “What did you go out to see?” He then gives some things they might have been looking for then says that in all their looking, they actually missed what they were seeing and hearing when they saw and heard John. Indeed, he was the person sent to proclaim and prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. You see, most of the people at that point did not recognize Jesus as being the Messiah. As such, many people probably missed the fact that John was the one sent to declare, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Interestingly, John did know what his own purpose was:

“He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.””

‭‭John‬ ‭1:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As we are seeking the deep things of God, as we want to know His heart and begin to see things as He sees them, we must recognize that this can only happen as we set aside our “box of thoughts” so that we can see what we haven’t seen before.

“‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭33:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

We light a sixteenth candle of illumination today by knowing this:

You can miss what you need to see when intent on finding something else.

#25daysofillumination