Have you ever been in a difficult situation you thought would never end? You felt abandoned, maybe even by God Himself? I have an idea this was how John the Baptist felt when he was in prison, while Jesus still walked the earth. After hearing things about Jesus’ ministry while he was in prison, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the promised one, the Messiah, or if they should still be looking for someone else.
Reading between the lines, I wonder if John’s thought process was something like, “If you are the One, you have the power to do anything, and yet, I’m still here – still in this jail, still waiting for you to DO something!”
Jesus responds to their query with, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Jesus was doing what he was sent to do; he was God in human skin, doing what God does: healing the sick, resurrecting the dead, delivering good news. Why did he not rescue John from prison? I don’t have the answer to that question, but just because we don’t have all our “why” questions answered, it doesn’t mean God stops being who He is. He may not always do what we want, exactly when we want, but He’s always working to fulfill His purposes in and through us.
That’s all well and good and true, you might say, but I’m still here– in this mess, in this heartbreak, in this hardship.
My Friend, do you know what Jesus wants to say to you?
“I’m Still Here”
I am with you in the mess, in the heartbreak, in the hardship.
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
He is good.
His promises are true.
His steadfast love endures to all generations.
“And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Life By The Way 