Spiritual Blindspots

Just a few miles off the California coast near Santa Cruz, a cluster of unknown fault lines was recently discovered on the ocean floor. These seams in the tectonic plate of the planet look like wrinkles on the Earth’s crust. What makes this unusual is this area is one of the most seismically studied parts of the planet. These unseen fault lines are causing concern because of the potential they have for earthquakes and resulting tsunamis that could be released when these fault lines move. In essence, geologists discovered a tectonic blindspot.

There are similar blindspots for people of faith. We have a tendency to view the cultural landscape through the lens of our assumptions. This view is created when we look at life through the narrow lens of our personal history and opinion. We begin to believe our current reality is secure, immovable, and complete when it is really vulnerable to change at any moment. All of us only see this life in part. Outside our narrow field of vision exists a higher reality that remains hidden in our personal blindspots – hidden until God moves and reveals to us what we did not initially see. 

Just as a natural disaster catches people off guard as a terrible surprise, something similar takes place in a positive way when God moves. Each revival in Church history was not a predicted event. Yes, some prophets announced certain aspects of what was to come, but the actual spark point of the revival remained hidden behind a single act of faith. That single act of faith sent tremors through a region, creating a spiritual tsunami that swept across the Church in revival and through all spheres of culture in reformation. 

God is at work, moving in the blindspots of our vision. What will mark this movement will be the unexpected nature of what is about to take place. Don’t be afraid of the unfamiliar tremors you sense when this move of God courses through culture and the Church. All things must be shaken to bring us back to a simple trust in the One doing the shaking, not in the things being shaken. When the shaking is complete, we will see with greater clarity what God has been doing and that understanding will also bring us a greater sense of peace.