March 6: Following His Guidance.
HIS REPORT.
"Go and report to John...: the lepers are cleansed...the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them."--Luke 7:22
As I write this devotional, there have been two mass shootings in the United States in the last two weeks. Many people lost their lives in these disastrous events. In the midst of personal and corporate tragedy, many may ask, "Where is God in all of this?" Sometimes the effect of unbearable and unexplained pain in our lives may translate into doubts in our minds and darkness in our hearts. What answers does Jesus provide for us in moments like these?
Jesus had been healing the sick, raising the dead, and proclaiming the good news. And John the Baptist, who had devoted his public ministry to proclaiming the arrival of the Expected One, is now sitting in his dark and smelly cell, alone and in pain. He has a question for Jesus: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" (Luke 7:19). Wow! Obviously, John was struggling with his own expectations about the Coming One, unlike the way in which Jesus was carrying out His ministry. Perhaps the same is happening to you today, and you are wondering about Jesus and His intervention in your life: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else (verse 20). The emphasis on "the Expected One," or "the Coming One" is repeated in both verses (verses 19, 20). Drawing from several verses in Isaiah, especially Isaiah 61:1, Jesus answered by sending John a report about His salvific activity: the blind received sight, the lame walked, the dead were being raised, and the gospel was being preached to the poor. All of these were proofs, enacted parables of His redemptive purposes. That was the report to be given to John; that was the evidence of who Jesus was and is. Even though all of us can witness about God's miraculous intervention in our lives, we often aren't able to explain pain, tragedy, and the reason why God allows certain things. During those times, let's cleave to the core evidence that God has provided through Jesus: His salvific deeds in the plan of redemption. Someday we will understand all things. Until then, let's cling to the cross and trust.
My Response:____________________________________________________________
HIS REPORT.
"Go and report to John...: the lepers are cleansed...the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them."--Luke 7:22
As I write this devotional, there have been two mass shootings in the United States in the last two weeks. Many people lost their lives in these disastrous events. In the midst of personal and corporate tragedy, many may ask, "Where is God in all of this?" Sometimes the effect of unbearable and unexplained pain in our lives may translate into doubts in our minds and darkness in our hearts. What answers does Jesus provide for us in moments like these?
Jesus had been healing the sick, raising the dead, and proclaiming the good news. And John the Baptist, who had devoted his public ministry to proclaiming the arrival of the Expected One, is now sitting in his dark and smelly cell, alone and in pain. He has a question for Jesus: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" (Luke 7:19). Wow! Obviously, John was struggling with his own expectations about the Coming One, unlike the way in which Jesus was carrying out His ministry. Perhaps the same is happening to you today, and you are wondering about Jesus and His intervention in your life: "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else (verse 20). The emphasis on "the Expected One," or "the Coming One" is repeated in both verses (verses 19, 20). Drawing from several verses in Isaiah, especially Isaiah 61:1, Jesus answered by sending John a report about His salvific activity: the blind received sight, the lame walked, the dead were being raised, and the gospel was being preached to the poor. All of these were proofs, enacted parables of His redemptive purposes. That was the report to be given to John; that was the evidence of who Jesus was and is. Even though all of us can witness about God's miraculous intervention in our lives, we often aren't able to explain pain, tragedy, and the reason why God allows certain things. During those times, let's cleave to the core evidence that God has provided through Jesus: His salvific deeds in the plan of redemption. Someday we will understand all things. Until then, let's cling to the cross and trust.
My Response:____________________________________________________________
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