Doubts - Pt 1

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:1-6 ESV).

I often use Monday morning as a time to write. Such is the case as I muse about the things that cause doubt today. I am in debt to my oldest son, Kyle, for the inspiration to take this little quiet walkway in our journey through Morning Devotionals. Sometime ago he was asked to preach the Sunday morning sermon at our church in his absence. I have heard him many times both teaching and preaching. He was my primary substitute when I was pastoring in Tennessee. The folks enjoyed him coming, and I enjoyed having him in my stead. His message came from our reading today. This passage is such a stark reminder of the humanity of the great characters of the Scripture. No one can question the position and faith of John the Baptist. Even Jesus said of him: Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). Yet, we see a very real side of him here. He had doubts. The picture accompanying today’s devotional is titled “Archangel Michael.” It is a fresco in a Byzantine church in the ruins of Geraki castle from the 13th century. Much of the fresco has been lost to the vagaries of time, but that which remains shows a mighty archangel, Michael, who stands ready to defend any attack with a sword ablaze with light and fire. The expression leaves no room for doubt in this angel’s ability or the ultimate outcome of the battle. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that kind of assurance? Wouldn’t it be an incredible gift to have the resolve to face any circumstance in life with an absolute, unwavering faith in the successful outcome of any challenge? The artist seems to have captured that in his depiction of this angel. Yet, my experience is often the same as John the Baptist. I doubt. Perhaps you find yourself in this position as well. Perhaps your circumstance is health related. It may be that your body simply as begun to age in a way that weakness, or illness, it now your daily struggle. Or, maybe you’re facing a relational conflict in your family or marriage that simply is more than you can imagine being able to continue to even hope for a successful outcome. Whatever the circumstance, we can learn so much from John’s simple question and Jesus’ answer. Today, I would simply point you to Jesus. He is the One with the words of life, there is no other!