John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing.
So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,
or should we keep looking for someone else?” [Matthew 11:2-3 NLT]
This passage is a heart breaking one. Yet it so reflects the reality that so many experience in dark times. Bad things happen. Sincere followers of Christ find themselves in places they thought they would never be. John was in such a place. Obeying God landed John in Herod's prison. Where was God in this?
In a sense this is the question that John was asking. How can it be that John found himself in prison? His question to Jesus had everything to do about the messianic promise to set the captives free. Why, oh why, was John languishing in jail? Why did Messiah Jesus not come to set him free from his shackles?
Many of us feel John's pain. Many of us have asked similar questions from our own prisons. In dark times we struggle as to why God is not answering our prayers. We wonder whether his promises are true. In times like these it is helpful to remember that divine deliverance is mainly spiritual in nature.
Thank you for your presence with us in our darkest moments Lord.
... this devotion is part of a series about John the Baptist.
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