March 7: Following His Guidance.
HIS SILENCE.
"The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force."--Matthew 11:12
As a child, I listened to the Mission Spotlight stories, and it seemed that God's children never had to experience pain, because their houses were always shielded from disasters, and their lives were protected from violent attacks. But as I grew older, life challenged that concept. In the second half of his book about John the Baptist,* Gene Edwards imagines John's agonizing thoughts in Herod's dark prison, as he realizes that Jesus is not coming to deliver him, even though He has the power to do so. He ponders the paradox of Jesus helping many, but not all.
There is often a temptation to ignore the painful biblical accounts in which God seems to be silent. John the Baptist wrestled with a God who wasn't meeting his expectations. You can read his questions and the tribute Jesus gave to him, in Matthew 11:1-15. We could accept his doubts as trials, but it gets harder when we are faced with John's senseless beheading (narrated in Matthew 14:1-12 and Mark 6:14-29). We are told that when Herod heard of Jesus, he thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead (Mark 6:16), because Herod had a remorseful conscience. That's when we find out that, having been incarcerated for denouncing Herod for taking his brother's wife, John was killed in the mindless craze of out-of-control entertainment at a royal banquet (Mark 6:17-29). Herod is so taken by the dance of Herodias's daughter, that he promises the girl up to half of the kingdom (verse 23). Prompted by her evil mother, she asks for the head of John the Baptist (verses 24, 25). Even though Herod is grieved by the request, he grants it because of his oath; his pride and his reputation are at stake before his guests (verse 26). They bring John's head on a platter (verse 28). Wicked people ended the life of God's highly esteemed prophet, yet God was silent. In His sovereignty, God often did not prevent the death of His prophets and martyrs, and He definitely did not stop the death of His Son on our behalf. When we don't understand the silences of God, we are invited to trust His plans, His viewpoint, His wisdom, and, overall, His love.
My Response:_________________________________________________________
* Gene Edwards, The Prisoner in the Third Cell (Auburn, ME: The Seedsowers, 1991).
HIS SILENCE.
"The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force."--Matthew 11:12
As a child, I listened to the Mission Spotlight stories, and it seemed that God's children never had to experience pain, because their houses were always shielded from disasters, and their lives were protected from violent attacks. But as I grew older, life challenged that concept. In the second half of his book about John the Baptist,* Gene Edwards imagines John's agonizing thoughts in Herod's dark prison, as he realizes that Jesus is not coming to deliver him, even though He has the power to do so. He ponders the paradox of Jesus helping many, but not all.
There is often a temptation to ignore the painful biblical accounts in which God seems to be silent. John the Baptist wrestled with a God who wasn't meeting his expectations. You can read his questions and the tribute Jesus gave to him, in Matthew 11:1-15. We could accept his doubts as trials, but it gets harder when we are faced with John's senseless beheading (narrated in Matthew 14:1-12 and Mark 6:14-29). We are told that when Herod heard of Jesus, he thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead (Mark 6:16), because Herod had a remorseful conscience. That's when we find out that, having been incarcerated for denouncing Herod for taking his brother's wife, John was killed in the mindless craze of out-of-control entertainment at a royal banquet (Mark 6:17-29). Herod is so taken by the dance of Herodias's daughter, that he promises the girl up to half of the kingdom (verse 23). Prompted by her evil mother, she asks for the head of John the Baptist (verses 24, 25). Even though Herod is grieved by the request, he grants it because of his oath; his pride and his reputation are at stake before his guests (verse 26). They bring John's head on a platter (verse 28). Wicked people ended the life of God's highly esteemed prophet, yet God was silent. In His sovereignty, God often did not prevent the death of His prophets and martyrs, and He definitely did not stop the death of His Son on our behalf. When we don't understand the silences of God, we are invited to trust His plans, His viewpoint, His wisdom, and, overall, His love.
My Response:_________________________________________________________
* Gene Edwards, The Prisoner in the Third Cell (Auburn, ME: The Seedsowers, 1991).
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