“‘Go,’ [Jesus] told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” John 9:7 (NIV)
One Monday morning, I was jogging along the Willamette River in Portland. The sun rose in a display of orange, pink, and purple so stunning I stopped to take it in, turning to a stranger to exclaim, “Are you seeing this? Wow!” I finished my run home awed by the God who paints such masterpieces.
Back home, I stepped onto my porch, my little sacred space for prayer — complete with Bible, journal, and candle. But the candle and my pen were missing. I quickly realized my 2-year-old son, Amos, had been at it again, fascinated by his dad’s spot. The candle was stuffed in the mailbox, half the beeswax peeled away. Quickly tidying up, I set things mostly right, although to my frustration, the pen was still lost.
As I sat again to pray, the irony struck me. That wonder at the sunrise — my awareness of a daily miracle — was swept away in a flash by something as small as a missing candle.
It made me ask:
How do I live in the light of God’s beauty after the sunrise is gone?
How does the awe of that holy moment shape my parenting, marriage, and life?
How does my life bear the fruit of prayer after I say “amen”?
John 9 tells about Jesus healing a man born blind. It’s a brilliant, layered story about our human condition and God’s healing power: “[Jesus] spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing” (John 9:6-7, NIV).
At first glance, the miracle is spectacular in result yet strange — even gross — in method. But viewed in the context of the biblical story, around which Jesus shaped His life, it makes perfect sense.
In Genesis 1-2, God created by speaking, by breathing. When it came to humanity, God formed Adam from dust and breathed into him the breath of life, making humans uniquely His image bearers. The transcendent — the very breath of God — entered the dirt, joining heaven and earth in human form.
When Jesus healed the blind man, He mirrored the creation story itself: dirt and divine breath combining to bring life. The same divine touch that made us also restores us. So a man whose sight had been shaped by darkness was redefined by the Creator’s breath.
It's tempting to tell only extraordinary, miraculous stories like this. But ordinary moments can also bring the deepest awakening. For me, it wasn’t the sunrise’s majesty that truly changed me. It was the gentle nudge of the Spirit after I let the irritation of my disrupted prayer nook sour my attitude: I realized the sanctity of that space was increased, not diminished, by my son’s messy presence.
After that day, I began writing a short poem each morning — a humble practice of creative prayer to the God I often glimpsed in distant beauty but longed to know in the daily mess. What happens in us as we pray, quietly and consistently, is often more significant than the answers we receive. The most lasting, sweetest fruit of prayer is internal: It reforms us, helping us see through the eyes of Jesus and respond with His kindness.
Prayer, at its best, is practice for dragging the glory of the sunrise into everyday places — marriage, parenting, friendship, work, rest, interruptions — and learning to live from heaven’s perspective.
May your eyes be opened to the grandeur of God, who keeps His promises even now, and may you find the fruit of prayer after “amen.”
Lord, open my eyes to Your beauty in both sunrise wonder and daily mess, and let the fruit of my prayers shape my heart long after I say “amen.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
After Amen refocuses our attention on the role of wonder in the Christian life, presenting 50 devotional entries that feature biblical reflection, heartfelt prayer, and original poetry from Tyler Staton. Through focusing on Jesus’ seven signs in the Gospel of John, Tyler shows how all of life is an invitation to be formed into the image of Jesus. This exceptional book is a provocative and beautiful exploration of the way prayer reshapes us long after “amen.”
Tyler Staton is the Lead Pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, Kirsten, and their sons, Hank, Simon, and Amos. Connect with him on his website or Instagram!
Enter to WIN your very own copy of After Amen by Tyler Staton. To celebrate this book, Tyler’s publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by filling out the form here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and notify them via email by Monday, May 4, 2026.}
Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (NIV).
Where in your daily life might God be inviting you to carry the awe of a “sunrise moment” into an ordinary frustration or interruption?
How could your prayer life move beyond spoken words to actively reshape the way you respond to your family, work, and unexpected disruptions? Share with us in the comments!
© 2026 by Tyler Staton. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Nelson Books for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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