Do You Feel Forgotten By God?

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” – Luke 7:18-20

When I was reading my Bible yesterday, I spent some time studying a passage from Luke chapter 7. In this particular passage, Luke describes the time when John the Baptist sends messengers to ask Jesus if He is really the Messiah, or if they should be waiting for someone else.

To be honest, I’ve skimmed through this passage a lot in the past. I know I’ve read it, but I’ve never really studied it, until yesterday. And as I dove deeper into this story, my heart started to break for John the Baptist in a way it never had before. His humanity became so evident to me in this story, and it encouraged me in one way and saddened me in another.

Let me explain.

If you’re not familiar with John the Baptist, he was a prophet, but he wasn’t just any prophet. The Old Testament prophet Malachi predicted that there would be a messenger that would come ahead of Jesus to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior of the world (Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist was that messenger.

You also might know John the Baptist as the man who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. This was the event that sparked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth. (You can read more about that in Luke 3:21-22.)

Let’s fast forward a little bit, though, to chapter 7, where I was reading yesterday. At this point in John the Baptist’s life, he was in prison, serving time for denouncing the king’s unrighteous marriage. (Apparently, the king was not a fan of accountability.)

Meanwhile, as John the Baptist is sitting in a prison cell, Jesus is carrying out His earthly ministry, healing people, preaching to people, raising people from the dead, and performing all kinds of incredible miracles.

Word gets back to John the Baptist about Jesus, of course. After all, John the Baptist had spent years of his life telling people about Jesus and preparing them for His arrival. But then, at one point during his imprisonment, John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus to ask Him if He was truly the Messiah they had been preparing for, or if they needed to be expecting someone else.

This passage always kind of confused me, which is probably why I skimmed over it so many times. Why in the world would John the Baptist, of all people, be asking Jesus to confirm His identity as the Messiah? Shouldn’t he know more than anyone else who Jesus was? He had baptized Him. He was there when the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. He was present when God spoke to Jesus from heaven saying, “You are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). How could he possibly be questioning who Jesus is?

This is when my heart started to break…because I began to understand where John the Baptist was coming from.

He was sitting in prison. A prophet, the messenger sent ahead of Jesus, was sitting in prison, and Jesus wasn’t doing anything about it. He was healing all of these other people. He was resurrecting other people. He was performing miracles for other people. But He wasn’t rescuing John the Baptist.

I can imagine that John the Baptist was thinking something like, “Jesus, if you’re really the Messiah, why aren’t you saving me? Why aren’t you delivering me? Why aren’t you showing up for me?” You’d think that wouldn’t be a big ask for the messenger before Jesus, right?

But Jesus chose not to.

I wish I knew why Jesus didn’t get John the Baptist out of prison. But I don’t.

What I do know is that I’ve felt the same way I assume John the Baptist felt in that prison cell when he sent his messengers to make sure Jesus was who He claimed to be.  

Granted, I’ve never been in prison. But I’ve felt stuck. I’ve felt trapped. I’ve felt forgotten. And I’ve felt hopeless. And I’ve wondered in those difficult seasons of my life things like, “Jesus, where are you? Why aren’t you delivering me from this? Why aren’t you showing up for me?”

And it’s comforting to know that even one of the “spiritual giants” in the Bible, the man who was sent to prepare people for the coming Savior, he, too, struggled with the same doubts that you and I struggle with.

I usually end these devotions with some kind of challenge or action step. But I think for today, I just want you to know that you’re not alone if you’re struggling with doubt. You’re not the only one waiting for God to come through while simultaneously wondering what’s taking Him so long. Not only are there other believers who feel the same way you do, but there is story after story of people in Scripture – people who walked and talked with Jesus – who felt the same way you feel now.

Jesus sees you, friend. He knows your circumstances. He understands what you’re dealing with and what you’re feeling. I can’t tell you that He’s going to show up when and how you expect Him to. And I can’t promise He’s going to make all of your problems go away. But I can promise you that He sees you. He loves you. He cares for you. And He has not forgotten you.

I hope you find comfort in that truth today.