MENU

Where the world comes to study the Bible

The Contact Lens

Brenda was a young woman who wanted to learn how to rock climb. She went with a group on a beginners' expedition. At one point, they faced a tremendous cliff of rock that was practically perpendicular. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold of the rope and started up the face of that rock. Eventually, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was steadying herself, whoever was holding the rope up at the top of the cliff made a mistake and snapped the rope against Brenda's eye, knocking out her contact lens. You know how tiny contact lenses are and how nearly impossible to find. Well, there she was on a rock ledge, with many hundreds of feet of granite behind and above her. She searched over and over, hoping to be able to find her contact. It wasn't a good situation, since she was very far from home with impaired, blurry vision. And it was upsetting to think that she was nowhere near a place where a new contact lens could be obtained. Brenda prayed God would help her to find it. Her one thought was that when she made it to the top of the cliff, one of the girls already there might be able to find her contact lens in the corner of her eye. There was no contact lens to be found, however, upon her friend's examination.

She sat down, waiting for the rest of the party to come up the face of the cliff. As Brenda looked out across range after range of mountains, she recalled the Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains, and You know exactly where my contact lens is."

Finally, the time came when it was time to leave the summit. They walked down a trail to the bottom. Just as they got there, a new party of rock climbers was coming along. As one of them started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Now, that would be startling enough, but there's more. Here is why the climber noticed the lens in the first place: an ant was carrying that contact lens so that it was moving slowly across the face of the rock!

What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Is He in charge of the tiniest things? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do He made them. What else does it tell you about Him? It is something very important which many people miss: God is not moved by need; He is moved by faith. It was because Brenda turned to God and asked for His help that He could "show Himself strong" on her behalf.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a picture of the ant lugging that contact lens, with his thoughts in a "balloon" over his head: "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Report Inappropriate Ad