Technology is marvelous. If you could go back 100 years, I am not certain that anyone then would be able to fathom what man has developed the capacity to do.

Food can be cooked in minutes. Letters are not written on parchment and carried by horse. They are spoken into a computer and sent with the click of a mouse. The telephone is not something hanging on a wall of your home, attached to everyone else by a wire. It is instead something that even a child has in his or her pocket, with a number personalized for private individual use.

Mankind has an amazing gift for creation. It is of little wonder because man was created in the image of a creative God and it would only make sense that those creative abilities would be a part of the DNA God invented in his children.

There is a downside to man’s creativity and gift for invention. We have the capacity to see beyond the strength of our eyes. Yet, we have lost much of our ability to see a lot of things. As a result, it is not a far stretch to invent what we see…or to put it another way, we see things creatively, blueprinted in the inventive scope of our minds.

In John 9, Jesus warned the Pharisees of this problem. He had just healed a man on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were already looking for reasons to denounce Jesus because he challenged their teachings and power. They tried to corner him because of his action against the Sabbath belief, ignoring that he had just cured a blind man.

His response was (paraphrased), "You have great knowledge and voice your ability to see clearly what happens in life. But I tell you, because you are so caught up in what you ‘see,’ you are really blind to what is happening."

In short, these guys were waiting on a Messiah, but could not reach beyond their view of Messiah and see him in Jesus, even as he did a miracle before them. They were troubled and because of that, they could not see.

Trouble captivates the eye. It beckons people. Scandal occurs and people say they are tired of hearing about it. Meanwhile, news circulation about the scandal goes through the roof. Trouble masks reality and the creative mind of man begins to invent a picture of truth, while missing truth.

Our nation is in trouble. There is a great division. Please recognize that this is not a political article or position. A quick study of social media, news outlets, etc. will show the chaos and division that has gripped the minds of people. In looking for truth, people say they are looking for God. In reality, many are looking for God to do a particular thing…their way. Many are not seeing God – only trouble. Like the Pharisees, many are blind.

In trouble, you have to look for God. You have to look through what is beyond your control and ask, "Is it still in God’s control?" Daniel did that with King Darius. He remained righteous, even when sentenced to death in a lion’s den. God protected him and, because he knew how to "see," God used him to change the nation.

We see trouble. God sees a process. We see chaos. God sees an opportunity. If during trouble, we focus on him, we can begin to see what he will use to bring change and ultimately, victory. When trouble arises, choose to see what God will do through that trouble. You will be amazed at what his will can accomplish!

Byler is the lead pastor of Connection Church in Hinesville.