John the Baptist sat in a prison cell, waiting for his execution. His circumstances had to have made him question his faith. After all, he had baptized Jesus and declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) He had seen the dove descend and heard the voice from heaven. And yet here he was, chained, forgotten by the crowds, in a filthy cell instead of building God’s kingdom. So he sent word through his disciples with a question for Jesus that sounds almost shocking:
“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another.” (Matthew 11:3)
Jesus did not answer with a simple “yes.” Rather, He answered with evidence from the Word:
“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)
Jesus pointed John back to the truth Isaiah had written centuries earlier:
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1)
Jesus reminded John of God’s promises, saying, in effect, “look at what I am doing, look at the Word, and you will know who I am.”
Even though John had boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah earlier, being in prison and facing death, were not what he expected. Jesus was not doing what John expected—like bringing immediate judgment upon Rome and overthrowing Israel’s enemies. But Jesus reassured John without criticizing him. Jesus’ response directed John away from his circumstances and back to God’s Word. My friend, this is so rich!
We should not judge God’s plan for us by our present circumstances!
We so often experience doubt when God does not act according to our expectations. But we cannot lose faith in Him simply because He is not doing things according to OUR timetable or the expectations we have set for Him. God’s timing is His own. His ways are far above our ways.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Circumstances and expectations are demanding. They both insist that if God were REALLY at work, things would look different and resolve faster. But circumstances were never meant to be the measure of God’s power or work. Neither are our own expectations evidence of how WE think God ought to move. The measure of God’s plan is revealed by His nature and in His Word. He has thoroughly proven Himself through His love.
The deepest experiences of trusting God happen when His plan looks different from our expectations or circumstances.
That is the rich lesson for each of us who has ever waited on God for something to change! I am so encouraged by the prayer of Paul over the church at Ephesus:
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
God’s plan for us is never confined to our circumstances or our expectations—He works exceedingly abundantly above both!
Prayer:
Father, I confess there have been times when my circumstances have made me question what You were doing. Teach me to look at Your Word and Your faithfulness instead of my present frustration. Help me trust You because You have already proven who You are, and I know you are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or imagine. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
