Matthew 9:32 – 34 ESV As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
If only God would show Himself so that people would believe. How many times have you heard people say something similar? It seems to make perfect sense. If God would manifest Himself in some sort of visible or physical way, then the world would realize that He is real and put their faith in Him.
Reality has proven to be significantly different. People who do not wish to believe will not do so even when faced with reasonable proof of God’s existence and goodness. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He performed countless miracles. Yet people still chose not to believe.
The reason why is that the devil has blinded people’s minds so that they are unable or unwilling to accept the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). The only way people can overcome this blindness is when God draws them to Himself (John 6:44). Despite God giving ample evidence in nature and in human hearts of His existence and sovereignty (Romans 1:19-23), it takes the power of God working in a person to open spiritual eyes that have been blinded by the devil (Acts 26:18 & 2 Corinthians 4:6).
Sometimes it is not a lack of belief. Some people simply choose to disobey God despite being 100% certain that He is there and He is active. Often it is because they choose to follow another god of their own creation. The Israelites when they were leaving Egypt had numerous examples of God existence. Not only had they seen the ten plagues firsthand, but they had crossed through the parted Red Sea, drank water from a rock, and witnessed God’s visible presence with them constantly as a pillar of cloud during the day and a column of fire at night. Yet they repeatedly disobeyed, even to the extent of creating an idol in the form of a golden calf and calling it their god.
Today, there are people who have had firsthand experiences with God who refuse to acknowledge Him because they have chosen to follow other gods. These idols include drugs, alcohol, sex, money, status, and many others. They have not been blinded by the devil as much as they have made a choice to pursue something or someone; they believe has more to offer them than the Living God.
In the account above, the Pharisees refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah, so they looked for other explanations for His obvious miracles. We must remember that the Pharisees were highly educated and theoretically dedicated to obeying God. They studied the scriptures “religiously” and were well versed in what the prophets said about the Messiah. Yet when they came face to face with Him, they rejected Him and His message because it didn’t fit their expectations.
Many people today miss what God is doing because He does not act in the way they believe He should – or the way they want Him to. Not only apostate believers, but even men and woman who truly love God and want to serve Him. I know many Godly people who are sincere in their faith but have set limitations on God so when He acts outside of those limitations, they refuse to accept it. They will spend eternity with God but at times, like the Pharisees, they dismiss His work in the present as the activity of demons.
Lord God, in Your mercy, open the eyes of the blind so that they may see You. Give conviction to those who have turned away from You. Give clarity and revelation to those who truly love You but have set boundaries they refuse to allow You to cross.