Matthew Chapter 11: verses 2-6 (NIV)
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.
John had been faithful to his calling which was not an easy one. He’d pointed people to the coming of Jesus and had even had the privilege of baptising Jesus. But he was struggling in prison here and we see a moment of doubt. Jesus doesn’t rebuke John – He gives him encouragement that involved looking outside of his own circumstances. He told John’s disciples to tell him all that Jesus was doing and to stand firm no matter what. He then goes on to commend John to the rest of the crowd who had gathered as John’s disciples went off to do as He told them.
When we are struggling in times of hardship or difficulty, Jesus doesn’t rebuke us. The devil does that. Jesus wants us to lift our eyes off our own circumstances and see what God is doing all around us – He is still on the move. I saw an Instagram post at the weekend quoting a famous line from C.S. Lewis’ book – “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe.” The post read, “Aslan is on the move.” In the story, as Aslan began to move, the signs that the witch’s spell had been broken, began to be evident, the snow began to melt and there were signs of spring. When we are finding things hard, Jesus would encourage us too to look around us and see signs that show us God is moving. Even if they are only shoots popping through the ground, as my snowdrops are already doing in the garden. And if we look, with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, who will point us in the right direction, we will see that God is indeed moving. And that will lift our spirits as we give God praise for what He’s doing.
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful that You never slumber or sleep and that there is always evidence of Your hand at work if we take the time to look. Help me not to get too consumed with my own circumstances but to look around and see the evidence of Your moving. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.