John Knight, Senior Director of Development at Desiring God, gave a message this afternoon entitled, "Beyond Access: God's Delight in Disabilities."

If you'd like some background on John and his story of God's faithfulness to his family, you can listen to his message from Bethlehem Baptist's 2008 men's retreat (Part 1 & Part 2).

The audio from today's talk will be available in a couple weeks. Until then, here are some of the notes:

God is purposeful in creating all people, including those with disabilities.

Psalm 139:13

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

God knew what he was doing when he knit John's son together without eyes, with autism, and with mental retardation in his mother's womb.

Exodus 4:11

Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

This is even more explicit than the verse in Psalm 139—God creates disability. Does he seem embarassed about it? Is it ambiguous?

No.

God claims it: I make people mute, deaf, blind—disabled.

John 9:1-3

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

God uses disabilities intentionally for his glory.

Matthew 5:29

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

God uses the disability of blindness to show that there is something far worse than being disabled—something we all suffer—namely, being sinners.

Sin is our primarily problem, not any disability, because when we sin, eternity is at stake. But there is a solution...