John the Baptist - unfulfilled expectations?
Sometimes my faith is shaken when my dreams are shattered. I wonder where God is in the midst of my suffering. I cannot sense his presence. I feel alone and afraid. My faith wavers. I question what I have long believed. I wonder what is real, especially when my experience doesn’t match my expectations. This wavering deeply troubles me. I have tasted God’s goodness, enjoyed close fellowship with him, rested in his tender care. I have known both his power and his love. Yet in the midst of profound struggle, I have no answers. Just questions. John the Baptist understood this as he waited in prison . He, above all men, knew who Jesus was. Even in the womb, he leapt for joy in the presence of the unborn savior. At the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, before any of his miracles, John declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He baptized Jesus and saw God’s Spirit descend on him, testifying that he indeed was the Son of God. And yet, at the height of Jesus...