Have you ever felt like John the Baptist here? His whole life had been devoted in preparation for his ministry which he had faithfully been carrying out up until the time that he was put into prison. He had preached, baptized, rebuked, exhorted and had his fill of locust and wild honey. Every day he had gotten up to the same task: prepare the way of the Lord and make His paths straight. He didn’t frequent the golf course or even spend time in a nice study somewhere. His was a hard and rough existence.
Now, after all was said and done, John wanted to know one thing: have I wasted my time doing this work for God? John’s dilemma was twofold. First, he himself had been put into prison. Personal hardship always leads to questions, questions about one’s direction, purpose and even eternal effectiveness. But John himself had said that “He must increase, and I must decrease,” and thus knew that prison was not necessarily out of the bounds of what God might have in His plan. Second, however, was the fact that John’s conception of the Messiah may have been pretty close to what everyone else thought the Messiah would be: a political deliverer. Whatever He expected, Jesus did not appear to be it, at least at the rate that John expected.
We’re not too far removed from a Jewish prophet in first century Israel, are we? Be encouraged today that God is really in control of this whole business. His timing may be slower than you want. His Messiah may not meet your concept of a Messiah. His will for your life may include more suffering than you prefer. But He is still God. And He is still in control. And your desire to serve Him will be rewarded.
Be blessed, and leave your effectiveness up to His determination.
