Acts 9:17-18
"And Ananias went his way and entered the house, and laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized."
While Saul received physical eyesight from the Lord, after being blinded by the glory of God on the road to Damascus while traveling to persecute believers, he also received sight by the Spirit in a spiritual sense. Not only was he made physically well again, with the coming of the Spirit he was healed spiritually.
Without the Spirit's presence, all peoples are spiritually blind, not understanding the darkness which covers our eyes. Like Paul, we're spiritually blinded. Though we may be going through life, when it comes to spiritual matters we're really just groping in the dark, even when we may seem to be sincerely devoted to religious things. Without the Spirit in us, we are blinded by sin and in need of a miracle.
Saul received his miracle when he encountered the Lord's glory. This wasn't a matter of his being worthy of God's love, or of calling down the Lord in a worship service, or from doing the right things. God simply chose to give him grace through new sight. Spiritual light opened his eyes to the truth of his sinful life and his need for a Savior.
You and I receive our miracle of faith in this very same way. Though we'll probably not encounter a physical manifestation of God's glory, in the same way Saul was made to understand his spiritual blindness, our eyes are opened in faith by the Spirit and we confess our need for the Savior.
Just as Saul's eyes were thus opened from his blindness, our spiritual eyes are opened when the Spirit comes upon us. Just as Saul could now see by the Spirit's touch, so we can now see through new life in Christ.
Jesus' will is that no person go through life in spiritual blindness. He offers the presence of the Spirit to you so that you receive new sight.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for opening my eyes to spiritual blindness and the grace you gave me in bringing about the miracle of new sight. May I keep my eyes open and focused on you. Amen.
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