Jn. 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
Jn. 9:2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, t hat he was born blind?”
Jn. 9:3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Blindness, especially from birth, is one of the most helpless situations a human being could find herself/himself in. Jesus and his disciples came across a man blind from birth. Since Jesus seemed to have all the right answers, the disciples decided to probe him on this common feature in the world? Why are some human beings so disadvantaged in this world? Is it that God is partial or that these people or their forebears committed one big sin or the other? Some religions believe the latter, which is that the very disadvantaged people committed sin big time in their previous life; when they reincarnated, the law of karma dictated that they should pay for their big sins of the previous life by being sorely disadvantaged in the present life. But Jesus is his response to the question thrown at him stated that the condition of extremely disadvantage equated to a great opportunity for the work of God to be displayed in the disadvantaged person’s life.

Some people will argue that Jesus answer does not imply that every situation of disadvantage is an opportunity for the work of God to be displayed, but only applied to the case that Jesus and his disciples encountered. I must tell you here that I am generalizing Jesus answer to every situation of disadvantage due to knowledge that I have gained from very hard experience.

Ro. 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God who have been called according to his purpose.

That the work of God might be displayed in his life

Jn. 9:6-11
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.
7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Jesus said that being in a disadvantaged condition is an opportunity for the work of God (that is, divine power) to be displayed in his life. The blind man that Jesus and his disciples encountered ended up experiencing the display of the work of God in his life. But what about challenged people, especially in today's world? Is there anything a disadvantaged human being of today can do and witness the work of God in her/his life, to a similar magnitude as we see in John 9? I am talking about people that are challenged in diverse ways.

Why is being challenged an opportunity for the work of God to be displayed?

Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Tribulation is necessary in order for one to enter the kingdom of God. To enter the kingdom of God means to operate in the power of God, just like Jesus did during his earthly ministry. Before Jesus could operate the power of the kingdom of God, he went through hell. Many people think that he came to the world as God and so was always greater than all the problems in the world. Incidentally, Jesus was actually just an Adam--a new man. He was exactly how Adam was before Eve was brought out of Adam.

He. 5:6-9
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered
9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

I used to be confused by He. 5:7; does it mean that after doing great miracles in the public, Jesus had to face his personal problems that made him to cry and shed tears to God? God removed my confusion in October 2004. I was going through real hell, in ways that I cannot describe here. Prophecy had declared that I would be greatly used by God. I expected the glory of God to descend on me and my life would become heaven on earth; instead, my life became real hell. In the middle of the night in October 2004, I was awake on my bed in my native village, with my life so full of problems. As I lay on my bed, I wondered where God was in all this. He. 5:7 immediately popped into my mind, with a very clear understanding of what the verse is talking about. I immediately got to know that Jesus' life from the time he was born was full of difficult problems. Demons knew who he was, even while he was a baby. They used people who do their bidding to make Jesus' life hell. It was while Jesus was being tempted in the desert after his baptism in the River Jordan that the Spirit of God helped him to learn the secrets of the kingdom of God. Then he began to triumph over forces of evil.

I got to understand from the revelation of He. 5:7 given to me in October 2004, that the reason why my life had been full of hellish problems for many years is because of the height that God will eventually lift me to. In order to reach that kind of height, you must learn absolute obedience through much suffering. Very recently, I got to understand that the myriads of problems are meant to propel me into glory.

Ge. 6:3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

In Ge. 6:3, God made a law, which limited the ability of any spirit being to interfere in the affairs of man. By this law, man is given authority over the earth. No spirit, not even God Himself, can interfere in the affairs of man except through a human being. Satan and his demons cannot interfere in the affairs of men unless a human being invokes them. A person may be very close to God and be surprised that God watches as he goes through hell and does nothing. The person has to learn how to invoke the power of God.

Why tribulation is very important is because it makes a child of God so helpless that s/he seeks divine intervention with all diligence. That is why being very challenged is an opportunity for the work of God to be displayed.