Who is more blind, the blind man or the man who will not see? Often times we miss the truth God has for us simply because we refuse to see it. This was the case of the rich young ruler. He came to Jesus bowing before Him and calling Him good, yet with proclamations of his own self-righteousness. He proclaimed he was seeking God’s truth, but when it was presented to him, he went away as if he had searched for a thing and come up empty handed.

There is no one quite so blind as one who will not see. In comparison, a blind beggar hears of Jesus drawing near and calls out in search of God’s touch on his life. When he isn’t heard over the noise of the crowd, he cries out louder until he is acknowledged by Jesus – the one he knows can meet his needs. When he is asked by Jesus what he wants, the man states his needs with clarity and simplicity; "Lord, I want to see," (Lk. 18:41) to which Jesus responded, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” (v.42).

What is the difference between a blind man who saw and a seeing man who was blind? The faith to receive the sight to see it. Maybe you have been asking God to show you His truth about a thing but you have refused to see the truth He is showing you.

We may need to stop asking God to show us the truth; we need and start asking for the faith to receive our sight to see it.

Dr. William Burnham is pastor of Point of Grace Church in Covington. He can be reached at burnhamw@charter.net.