lessons through our deepest sufferings.” For Roberts, those words became reality. As his eyesight deteriorated, fear constantly whispered questions into his mind.
What would it be like to never drive again? What would it be like to preach blind? What would it be like to miss watching his children grow up?
As overwhelming as those fears were, Roberts says he encountered something even greater than the fear itself: sustaining grace.“ I never dreamed the grace God had for me,” he says.
Blindness Doesn’ t Have Me
What stands out most about Roberts is not bitterness but perspective.
Roberts believes the same has happened in his own life.“ There has been far more gain than there has been loss,” he says. It is a startling statement from someone who lost one of humanity’ s most valued senses, but Roberts insists blindness sharpened other kinds of vision, such as spiritual vision, relational depth, dependence on God, and compassion for hurting people.
In many ways, blindness led to the expansion of his ministry.
A Ministry Reaching Hundreds of Thousands
Today, Roberts leads a growing media ministry called Awaken to Grace, reaching audiences across radio, streaming platforms, books, and digital content. Hundreds of thousands of people now listen to his messages.
He refuses to let blindness define him.“ I may have blindness,” he says,“ but blindness doesn’ t have me.” That conviction has become central to his ministry.
Rather than retreating from leadership, Roberts stepped more deeply into it. Drawing from his own suffering, he now teaches others how to endure hardship, disappointment, loss, and uncertainty without losing hope.
He often points to Philippians 1:12, where Paul writes that his suffering actually served to advance the gospel.
Ironically, the pastor who once wondered whether he could continue preaching blind now ministers to more people than ever before. And his focus remains deeply personal.“ When people email me, they get a direct response from me,” Roberts says.
Everything his ministry produces— sermons, books, music, teaching series— is designed with one goal: helping people deepen their faith. He wants suffering people to know they are not abandoned. He wants weary believers to discover hope again. And perhaps most importantly, he wants others to understand what he himself learned in darkness: God’ s grace is
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