When, God?Sample

PRAYER:

God, in times when you seem silent, help me to choose to trust that you are at work.

READING:

When God Is Inattentive – Part 2

Today we continue our story about John the Baptist. He had been obedient to God, but was put in prison, and Jesus had left him there without helping him. 

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” – Matthew 11:2–3

John, who had told the disciples that Jesus was the one, was having second thoughts. Sometimes when our circumstances take a sudden change, it impacts our confidence in God. Despite everything he’d seen and all that he knew, John began to doubt. 

In response to his question, Jesus doesn’t say, “Of course I’m the one! Go back and tell him I’m the one.” Or, “I’m the one and I’m coming to break him out of prison!” He says this:

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see.” – Matthew 11:4

Jesus wanted the disciples to go back and report the activity of God outside John’s prison cell, because John was a prisoner to what he could 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.” – Matthew 11:5

And this is the most important part.

“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” – Matthew 11:6

In other words, blessed is anyone who doesn’t stumble away because of something Jesus has done or hasn’t done. But why would Jesus do anything to cause John the Baptist to stumble? Was there something he didn’t like about John? Here’s what Jesus says about him:

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” – Matthew 11:11

Jesus thought John was the greatest man who had ever lived to date. But John was going to be in prison no matter how much faith he had and no matter how obedient he had been. He was going to be in prison because that was part of God’s plan. 

Like John, your circumstances don’t necessarily coincide with how God feels about you. Proof of how God feels about you is what happened at the cross, not what’s happening at home, at school, or at work. Don’t make the mistake of letting your faith hinge on what God has done for you lately. When God is inattentive, unavailable, or late—look back and remember. Look outside your circumstances—outside your prison walls—and reflect on the activity of God. 

The story doesn’t end well for John. Herod has a birthday and Herodias sends her daughter from a different marriage to dance for him. At the end of the dance, he tells the daughter he’ll give her anything she asks for. Prompted by her mother, she asks for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. The king calls for his soldiers and they behead John. Not long after, religious leaders pay to have Jesus betrayed, arrested, and crucified, and God did nothing to stop it.

But even though it seemed like God was inactive, far away, not paying attention, late—God was right where he wanted to be. And the events unfolded just the way he wanted them to. When God is silent, he’s not absent. God is not inattentive, he’s not unconcerned, and he is never, ever late. 

REFLECTION:

Have you ever found your confidence in God wavering because your circumstances had changed? Consider how Jesus’s response to John the Baptist might affect your view of God’s attentiveness and care in times of trouble.