Matthew 11:2-6 - John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”
John the Baptist had been put in prison. His many hours of alone time must have played with his faith and he began to doubt his calling. He even sent some of his followers to inquire of Jesus. Jesus immediately sent word back to him that He was who he thought when he as preaching in the wilderness. Jesus went on to praise John to all that had gathered around Him that John was one of the greatest prophets…even the one who had been predicted…the replacement for Elijah...that would be sent to prepare the way for the Messiah.
Perhaps it was John’s separation form the task he had been called to that played with his mind. He could not understand how he could prepare the way for Jesus if he was sitting day after day in a jail cell. He was so humble that he did not once think of the many who had searched out the Christ because of his preaching. He did not consider that he was in prison because his words stirred the hearts of so many. It made him doubt his calling altogether.
I have to admit that I have shared John’s thought process many times. I think that I have figured out my calling…then something happens to test it…to refine it…to teach me something unpredictable about it. Instead of calling out to God to sustain me and help me strengthen my faith…I find myself questioning what I thought I was supposed to do.
Jesus spoke of our need to joy in trials and persecutions because they build our faith and teach us valuable lessons that deepen our convictions and faith many times. I love the way James 1:3 words this concept. It says…. “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.…”
It is a great reminder to not let doubt steal the joy and peace God lays on our hearts when we know that we know that we know that God is on His throne and he has charged us with a specific task to do….no matter what tries to hinder us from completing that task. Those hindrances allowed by God....but sent by satan…were sent to try and stop the spread of God’s word in the obedience of the faith we discovered.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you have charged all believers with a job to do. We are all called to a specific way of spreading your truth and love to others. Forgive me for the times than I have doubted my purpose…and lengthened the time that it took to teach me the skills I needed to be effective for you. Help me to stand strong like Peter and Silas…so that when I am faced with a road block the next time I will use the time to praise you in the storm you sent to teach me my next skill. Amen.
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