Richard Roberts
Has something bad ever happened to you that shook you to the core of your being? When John the Baptist was arrested by King Herod and thrown into prison, John’s faith was shaken to its core. As he lay in a filthy jail cell, waiting to die, doubt began to creep in. He became discouraged and disillusioned and began to question what he believed about the Lord.
So John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you really the one we are waiting for [the Messiah], or shall we keep on looking” (Matthew 11:3 TLB)? John needed fresh evidence for his faith. He was crying out, “Jesus, are You the Messiah, or am I going through all of this for nothing?”
Jesus sent the message back, “Go and tell John…The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (vv. 4˗5 NKJV). He was saying, “John, just keep on believing because I’m the real thing!”
When John asked Jesus for fresh evidence for his faith, the Lord began to tell him about the miracles. Why? Because a miracle settles the issue! A miracle gives us evidence that Jesus’ power is real and that He can do something about our situation. John was going back to the basics of his faith. And right in the middle of his jail cell, Jesus gave him fresh evidence to help overcome the trials he was facing.
When we encounter a detour in life, when we’re down and hurting, it’s important for us to go back to the basics of our faith. All of us need fresh evidence for our faith at some point in our lives. We serve a God who is real, and He stands ready to give us the fresh evidence we need to face each new day with overcoming faith and victory.
