John the Baptist had a difficult upbringing. When he was a child, his aged parents passed away. As a result, he was probably raised in the wilderness with a group of people called the Essenes. When he began his ministry, he wore animal skins and ate locusts and honey. He is considered the last of the Old Testament prophets even though the record of his life is in the New Testament. Much of his preaching was like that of Elijah and Isaiah.
But what of his personal life? He was a cousin of Jesus. They knew about each other, yet it was not likely that they had any ongoing relationship. His job was to fulfill the prophecy as the forerunner of Jesus. As part of his ministry, he had a following of disciples himself.
Think about it! This man was born by a supernatural birth to elderly people. He was intent to declare the Word of God. John the Baptist had a remarkable life serving God and winning many people to repentance. He called people to be baptized asking God to forgive them of their sin. When it was time for Jesus to begin his ministry, John pointed out that he was the promised Messiah. At one point Herod put him in prison. In prison he sent two of his own disciples to Jesus asking Christ if he was the Messiah. It is this doubt that I would like to address.
We can gain much encouragement from the last days of John the Baptist. A man who was so bold to stand against the king, a man who was personally the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, yet he came to a point in which he doubted if Jesus was the promised Messiah. (Luke 7: 19-28)
My friends, no matter how wonderful our relationship with God is, no matter how strongly we have served him, it is always possible that any of us can find ourselves in the Valley of Doubt. Surely you have wondered where God is when your prayers have been delayed to be answered. Surely there have been times in which you have felt weak and confused. There might even be times in your life in which you have been angry at God.
Take heart, my friend! Any of us are subject to question the path that God has put before us, and the results that we expect from him.
Jesus answered the two disciples sent from John the Baptist by reminding him of the many miracles that Christ performed in healing, forgiving, and even raising people from the dead. Let us take the advice from Christ. Stay focused on who he is and what he has done should you find yourself at a low point.
Christian Writer 