Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

COVID arrived in Mississippi on March 12, 2020, and with it, blew in one loss after the other. For two years, I felt chained in a prison of dwindling hope. My 30-year teaching career prematurely ended, causing stress on my marriage and a 30% drop in my family’s income. Shocking news of deaths rolled in—close family, my community, and the most difficult, my best friend died of cancer before he was 50 years old.

My prayers changed from praising God to pressing God for answers. “Where are you? Why? How much more? How much longer, Lord?” I stopped asking God questions and began to question His character. Sadly, with the enemy really perched on the throne of my heart, I doubted God’s existence.

Doubt is such a painful place to be in our faith. Maybe you have felt momentary doubts as a result of compounded pain and trauma from the pandemic or other difficult seasons. Be encouraged. Many in Scripture had questions, and John the Baptist is one of them.

God chooses John to prepare the way for Jesus (Mark 1:7-8). At the height of his ministry, John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River, and he witnesses a heavenly display of God’s approval of His Son (Mark 1: 9-11). Even with indisputable evidence that Jesus is Messiah, John still seemed to have second thoughts when persecuted by King Herod (Mark 6:18). When under intense pressure, like John, our thoughts can spiral to dark places.

Malachi 3:3 says God uses heat and pressure to bring out all the impurities of our faith. While God did not cause John’s difficult test, He certainly used it to purify his faith for an even greater test coming. Fireproof faith is one that has been refined and defined through a purification process that requires heat and pressure.
If we are in the middle of a firestorm, John’s story can be our blueprint while God is purifying our faith.

1. ASK the hard questions. God invites, welcomes, and handles our questions. With the weight of facing death, it’s understandable John sent messengers to ask Jesus, “Are you the one we have been expecting, or should we wait for someone else?” (Matthew 11:3). He didn’t ask “save me from being beheaded” but asked Jesus to deal with his doubt. His faith was in greater danger than his life.

2. WAIT for the answer to be delivered. This is the hardest step. We live in an instantaneous culture where waiting feels uncomfortable and immediate answers are gratifying. When it comes to our prayers, the answer may not be a clear-cut yes or no. In the interim, the answer may be “wait”.

3. RECEIVE the answer, even if it may not be the one you expect or want. Jesus did not give an easy answer of yes or no. Instead, he told the messengers to relay to John all the miracles he had performed, miracles no other human being could achieve (Matthew 11:4-6). We may not get the answer we expect, but we can be confident that God will give us an answer to receive.

When we read the remaining verses, Jesus does not condemn John for his singular moment of doubt. Rather, He praises him for a life built on sacrifice and his contribution to advancing God’s kingdom. Jesus tells the crowd to turn from their unbelief because, unlike John, they had a front-row seat to His miracles (Matthew 11:20-24). Jesus extends an olive branch, “Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest” (Matthew 11:29). Perhaps John was allowed to experience doubt to directly impact the salvation of Jesus’ listeners. His time in the fire allowed many others to fireproof their faith.

Reflection:

• Listen to Hillsong’s “Another in the Fire”. There’s a line in the song that says, “I’ll count the joy come every battle/‘Cause I know that’s where You’ll be.” How can you experience internal joy while in the battle?
• Use your greatest commodity of time and experience to invest in someone who may be struggling in their faith. Placing your focus outside of yourself can strengthen you during your own trials.
• Pray: Father, thank You for listening and responding to my prayers. I continue to be malleable clay on your Potter’s wheel, making me a beautiful, stronger, and better disciple. In Jesus name, amen.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Matthew 11

Author: Cooper Herrington

Today is a great day. It is the day the Lord has made. Today in our journey through the New Testament, we are reading about Jesus and one of His teachings. In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus talks a lot about John the Baptist. At the end of this chapter, Jesus changes the topic. Instead of teaching about John the Baptist, He starts teaching about God the Father.

Read verses 28 through 30 out loud so you know where we are going. Jesus says everyone who is having a hard time and is tired should come to Him. Jesus wants to take care of us when we are having a hard time. He wants us to come to Him when we are mad or sad. He wants to spend time with us. Not only does He say to come to Him, but it gets even better. Jesus says He will give us rest. This doesn’t mean that things are always going to work out the way we want them to, but Jesus does say He will take care of us.

• Have you asked the question how do I come to Jesus when I am having a hard time? Two ways we can connect with Jesus are through prayer (having a conversation with Him) and reading the Bible.
• Prayer: Jesus, thank You for always wanting to be with us. Thank You for giving us rest and taking care of us. God, help me call to You whenever I have a hard time, or when I am sad, or when I am mad. No matter what is happening, good or bad, happy or sad, help me come to you, Jesus. Amen.