John the Baptist had spent his entire life preparing the way for Jesus. He boldly preached repentance, baptized multitudes, and fearlessly confronted sin—even when it cost him his freedom. He had no doubt who Jesus was. He had seen the Holy Spirit descend upon Him like a dove. He had heard the Father’s voice from heaven declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son. He even pointed others to Him, saying, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Yet there came a day when John found himself sitting in Herod’s prison. The walls were cold. The future looked hopeless. Every passing day made it more apparent that he might never walk out alive. It was in that lonely, painful place that John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus a question that has surprised believers for centuries: “Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:19 NLT)
Why would the man who introduced Jesus to the world suddenly ask such a question?
I don’t believe John had suddenly abandoned his faith. Rather, I believe he was experiencing what many sincere believers have faced throughout history. His circumstances had become so dark that they challenged his understanding of what God was doing. The Messiah had come, yet John remained in prison. The Kingdom of God was advancing, yet injustice still seemed to win. His expectations and his reality no longer seemed to fit together.
Perhaps you’ve experienced something similar. Maybe it came after losing someone you deeply loved. Maybe it followed a devastating diagnosis, a broken marriage, a financial collapse, or years of praying for something that never seemed to happen. In those moments, a quiet question can surface that you never expected to ask. “God, do you really even care?" Not because you want to reject Christ. Not because you’ve stopped believing. But because pain has a way of asking questions that comfort never does.
One of the enemy’s oldest strategies is to whisper doubt into the hearts of God’s people during seasons of suffering. He wants us to interpret God’s character through our circumstances instead of interpreting our circumstances through God’s character.
What I love most about John’s story is not that he had a difficult question. It’s what he did with it. He took his question to Jesus. John didn’t become bitter. He didn’t walk away from God. He didn’t publicly denounce the One he had faithfully proclaimed. Instead, he sent his question directly to the Savior.
Jesus’ response is just as beautiful. He didn’t rebuke John for asking. He didn’t shame him by saying, “After everything you’ve seen, how could you doubt?” Instead, Jesus pointed John back to the evidence. “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (Luke 7:22 NLT)
In other words, Jesus was saying, “John, don’t judge Me by your prison. Judge Me by My faithfulness.”
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we learn as we mature in Christ is that our lives are not ultimately about us. They are about Him.
God loves us deeply and cares about every detail of our lives, but His purposes are infinitely larger than our personal comfort or even our understanding. From the beginning of creation until Christ returns, God has been accomplishing one magnificent plan—the redemption of mankind. His heart has always been that people would know Him and receive His gift of eternal life.
The apostle Paul reminds us that God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 NLT). Everything He does ultimately serves that eternal purpose.
John the Baptist understood this better than most. Long before his imprisonment, he said of Jesus, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” Those weren’t merely beautiful words. They were the conviction of a man who knew his life existed to point others to Christ.
When John found himself sitting in prison, he couldn’t yet see how his suffering fit into God’s larger story. Neither could his disciples. But God knew exactly what He was doing.
The same is true for us. There are seasons when our prayers don’t seem to be answered the way we hoped. There are disappointments we cannot explain and hardships we would never have chosen. In those moments, we’re tempted to evaluate God’s faithfulness by whether life is unfolding according to our plans.
Faith calls us to see something bigger. Our Heavenly Father is weaving together a story far greater than the chapter we’re living today. He sees every life He is drawing to Himself, every heart He is preparing, every prayer He is answering in ways we cannot yet see, and every circumstance He is using for eternal purposes.
That doesn’t mean we stop believing God for His best. We should continue praying boldly, trusting Him for healing, restoration, provision, wisdom, and breakthrough. Jesus encouraged us to ask, seek, and knock. But mature faith also learns to pray, “Father, even when I cannot understand what You’re doing, I trust that You do. My life belongs to You. Accomplish Your will and purpose through me.”
Faith isn’t believing that God is writing my story the way I would. Faith is trusting that He’s writing His story through mine. When we remember that God’s story is bigger than our own, our questions begin to lose their power. We may not understand every chapter, but we know the Author. And because we know Him, we can trust that one day every unanswered question will be answered by His perfect wisdom, His unfailing love, and His eternal purposes. God is good. God loves and cares for you!
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that Your plans are always greater than I can see. When life’s trials leave me with questions, help me bring them to You instead of allowing doubt to pull me away from You. Teach me to trust not only in Your promises but also in Your perfect purposes. Help me remember that my life is part of Your much greater story of redeeming the world through Jesus Christ. Strengthen my faith to believe You for Your very best while resting in the confidence that You know exactly what You are doing. May my life bring glory to You and point others to Christ, no matter what season I find myself in. In Jesus’ name, amen.
