We are currently experiencing the heart of winter in America, and with it can come snow blindness. Snow blindness, also called arc eye or photokeratitis, is a painful eye condition caused by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. When too much UV light hits your eyes’ transparent outer layer, called the cornea, it essentially gives your cornea a sunburn, and you become snow blind.
In the world of the Spirit, we can experience spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness is the sensation that God has forsaken you. God is literally nowhere to be found. Deists believe God created the world but has been absent ever since. Theists believe God created the world and is still active in our personal relationships and the salvation process for all of creation. In today’s study, we explore what it means to be forsaken by God and left spiritually blind.
There are many examples of people in the bible who experienced spiritual blindness, e.g., Cain, Esau, Saul, Jonah, David, and Jesus. In our scripture reading today from the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 27:46, we read about the cries of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “46 At about three Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?” More than anyone, Jesus knows what it’s like to have God’s favor removed while taking on the sins of the world.
Let us shift our attention to Christians suffering persecution around the world. We will quickly discover just how easy it is for kingdom people to experience spiritual blindness.
In just the last year*, there have been:¹
- Over 340 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
- 4,761 Christians killed for their faith
- 4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
- 4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned
Not all of these believers have experienced the sense that God has forsaken them, but many do. Jesus had to experience God turning away from him to complete the process of becoming our Lord and Savior. Only Jesus knows what it’s like to have been truly forsaken. As kingdom people, we are never alone, only by choice. Jesus went away so that the Holy Spirit would dwell inside us. Jesus promised that He would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
If you experience spiritual blindness today, it’s because you turned away from God, not God turning away from you. We know throughout scripture that God accommodates the brokenness of humanity. Still, at some point, if you continue not to answer the door when Jesus knocks or push away the Holy Spirit, you can find yourself at the point of no return, and that is a place of impending doom. Don’t let that be you!
Scripture Readings
Reflection Questions
- What did you take away from today’s reflection and scripture readings?
- Have you ever experienced being forsaken by God?
- Do you identify more as a deist, theist, agnostic, or atheist?
- Why did God forsake Jesus?
- It’s been 2,000 years since we have heard directly from Jesus. Has He forsaken us?
- Would you abandon your faith to avoid persecution?
Prayer²
Lord, when I consider the enormity of what Christ did for me at Calvary. I cannot begin to comprehend what it meant for Him to be separated from You, as He took the full force of Your justified wrath upon Himself, on account of my sin and bore the total weight of my transgressions and guilt upon His sinless shoulders. My heart will be unfeignedly thankful, and I pray that I may show forth my thanks and love, not only with my lips but in my life, by presenting my body as a living sacrifice unto You and giving myself up to Your service – this I pray in Jesus name, AMEN.
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