"Blessed is the One Who Is Not Offended"

Though her head was bowed I saw her tears, I knew her story and understood her pain. She wanted to trust God, she wanted to believe but the blinding pain of her circumstances seemed to be blocking the light of His presents. I understood. I've been there.

Sometimes to walk by faith, being sure of what you hope for and confident about what you don't see, is just plain hard and it doesn't seem to make any since at all. Sometimes in this painful dark place comes the sympathetic whisper of doubt, "You don't deserve this kind of treatment! What kind of God would treat His faithful followers this way?" The hope, the confidence in God's love and promises, feels strangled by the presence of pain. The voice of doubt mocks the very idea of a faith that is confident about what it doesn't see and instead points to the hard evidence of what is being experienced.

I see this pattern repeated over and over through out the Scripture. In fact I think that true faith is seen only in the lives of those who have experienced circumstances that brought them to places of sincere doubt. When I look at John the baptist I see a man who recognized Jesus while he was still in his mother's womb. A man known for being fearless and bold in what he believed, yet, when he was put in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

"In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight." (Luke 7:21) While John's disciples watched Jesus fulled prophecies performing miracles that showed He was the Messiah. Jesus told John's disciples to go tell John what they had seen and heard. However, Jesus did not explain to John why he was in prison. Somethings can only be understood by seeing your life as part of the bigger story that is being told.

Lord Jesus, You told John, "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me." I realize that I am offended when I no longer look at my life in the light of the Kingdom. Lord, let me not be blinded by the things I don't understand. Bestow on me the ability to see my life with the perspective of Your Kingdom!