My good friend Stacey Pop once encouraged me by saying “Don’t doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.” She then went on to feed my soul with several scriptures and pray for me. I remember that day well, as an example of God’s goodness in the ministry of His word within the church body.
In Matthew 11, John the Baptist is in prison. He is in a very dark place and begins to doubt. He sends word to Jesus “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” This, from the man who just a few chapters ago boldly proclaimed Jesus coming as the Messiah. Now his situation has changed, and quite naturally he begins to doubt that everything is still going according to plan.
As hard as it is, we must not live live by our feelings or let the situations cloud the truth. Feelings and situations change, truth does not. The solid truth of the Gospel of Jesus does not change. He is the Messiah, the one who came to take away the sins of the world. There is no other.
Only in Jesus is there true rest and peace, as our souls find rest in our Creator. Later on in that same chapter Jesus says this “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)
