Focus verse: Matthew 11:1-6 - "After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
The news that surrounds our lives today is mostly NO good news. There has been the emergence of bad infections like Covid-19 pandemic and the massive deaths associated with these infections. We hear of devastating floods and hurricanes and the massive loss of lives and properties associated with the same. We wake up to war amongst nations as is presently felt in Afghanistan where many lives are being slaughtered. Our governments are deep in corruption and have failed to show good leadership. Marriages are breaking each day, innocent babies are being aborted and many lives are being loosed through suicide. In all these, Christian have not been spared too, but have been victims of some worse scenarios. They have loosed friends to wars and disease, and they have been victims of bad disasters. During such times, we may be tempted to ask if really God is with us, if he is in control or if we are in the wrong faith.
John is put to jail because of rebuking sin; He told Herod that it was not lawful to have Herodias (his brother Philips wife) as his wife. He finds himself in the unpleasant jail condition. This made him to send a word to Jesus through his disciples to ask Jesus if for sure He was the one to come or to still wait for another Man. Jesus tells the disciples to get back to John and tell him what they have seen God continue to do. The blind are receiving their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor.
Well, we read about John the Baptist as the one who prepared the way for Jesus. He as well baptized Him and identified Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of man. But when faced with life challenges, he doubted Jesus and all that which had been clearly revealed to him by God. That’s exactly how some believers have doubted God and what He can do in the midst of challenges. We question His presence and power over our physical afflictions. We ask if we really made the right choice to be His followers. None the less, we need to know that God has not been limited by our afflictions. Being that He is not answering our prayers according to how we want does not mean He is not at work. His plan and ours are different. In fact He tells John’s disciples to go and tell John that he is still at work and a lot is happening. Let our life afflictions make us doubt Him, He is God and He chooses to work where He wishes and how He wants it. If it is His will that we go through all these afflictions then we still must trust Him fully and believe that all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director Bethesda Faith Ministries Kenya
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