Psalm 130:4: “But you are willing to forgive so that you might be honored” reminds us of the words of Jesus regarding the blind man’s condition “It was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Imagine being the blind man(John 9) as he experienced sight for the first time. His senses were acutely tuned to voices and sounds but now it is coupled with the faces of those he meets. Imagine as he hears and sees the neighbors protesting his sight; his parents and their befuddlement, but it is the last that he cannot understand. He is dismayed when he hears the religious leaders say “this man is not from God.” Yet this is often what we too hear from the unbelieving when God cleanses and us. Listen to the words of Peter: “they are astonished…they vilify you.” Yet this we know; without His forgiveness we could not stand in his presence but now like the blind man who has been healed we are healed of our sins and all because as the Psalmist said: “He IS willing.” And when we face the naysayers, like the blind man, we must rely upon the Lord and in fact “rely on him with [our] whole being.” We now yearn more and more to experience the depth of his lovingkindness and Jesus will not fail us.

Beloved, when the world abandons you recall that even if all abandon us God has not forgotten you because He was willing. We can rely upon Him.