Look at What God Is Doing
“Go and tell John again those things which you hear and see.” — Matthew 11:4
When life becomes difficult, it is surprisingly easy to become preoccupied with what God isn’t doing.
We prayed, but the answer hasn’t come. We asked for healing, but the situation remains. We expected God to open a particular door, but it closed instead. We thought He would intervene by now, yet nothing seems to have changed.
John the Baptist knew something about that.
From his prison cell, John heard reports about Jesus. His disciples were telling him about the miracles they had witnessed: the blind seeing, the lame walking, the deaf hearing and even the dead being raised.
You would think those reports would have completely reassured him. But John’s problem was that he was also thinking about what Jesus wasn’t doing.
Jesus was healing others, but John was still in prison. Jesus was confronting spiritual darkness, but Herod was still ruling. The Messiah was doing great things, but John remained in chains.
And so John asked the question.
Jesus’ response is significant. He didn’t give John a complete explanation for his circumstances. Instead, He told John’s disciples to return and tell him what they had “heard and seen.”
In effect, Jesus redirected John’s attention: “John, look at what God is doing.”
That is a good word for us too.
When disappointment settles into our hearts, we can become so focused on the unanswered prayer that we forget the prayers God has answered. We can become so consumed with the closed door that we fail to notice the doors He has opened. We can stare so intently at what we don’t understand that we overlook the evidence of His goodness that is already around us. This doesn’t mean we should pretend difficult circumstances aren’t difficult. John really was suffering, and Jesus never minimised that.
But our circumstances do not define God’s character.
He is still God when the answer hasn’t come. He is still faithful when we don’t understand. He is still working when we cannot see how all the pieces fit together.
So perhaps today, before asking God why He isn’t doing something, take some time to remember what He has already done. Look again. You may discover that His fingerprints are all over your story.
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