Sooner or later, most will ask, ‘How do I know God is with me?’
By Dean Collins
When you thought you had the answer but find yourself in a tough situation, it is normal to want to verify your answer. But once your answer has been verified, it’s time to embrace it and trust the outcome.
Even when God shows up with the answer? How do we know that it is a divine answer and not just something we made up in our heads? We are certainly capable of arranging our interpretations of events and of Scripture to convince ourselves of a preferred solution to our difficult problems.
John’s declaration
In Luke 7 we read that John the Baptist wanted to verify that he understood Jesus correctly. Earlier (in Luke 3 ) John the Baptist spoke clearly that God was sending One much greater than he. In fact, the coming Messiah was so worthy that John the Baptist thought himself not even able to untie his sandals.
It was after this declaration that John the Baptist saw Jesus in person. Jesus asked that John the Baptist do what his title implied, baptize. Jesus had nothing to repent of, yet demonstrated his complete surrender to God publicly. John the Baptist then saw an amazing confirmation concerning the identity of Jesus. Luke tells us what happened:
“The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”
That was enough for the baptizing prophet. He was convinced he had seen God’s Messiah. But time passed and sinners sinned and power seekers sought power and the fallen world still sins. In Luke 7 we read that John the Baptist wanted to verify that he understood Jesus correctly.
John was put in prison by Herod the Tetrarch who was being manipulated by his family. Herod gave in to Herodias and ignored the sinful behavior of his family. To keep the peace, we sometimes lack the courage to do what is best and what is the obedient thing to do. We can’t expect those who don’t follow Jesus to conform to what Jesus asks of us, but we can and should be responsible for our behaviors and obedience.
John’s verification
John from prison asked two of his disciples to go ask Jesus a question. Sitting in a prison cell with a likely death sentence led John the Baptist to double check and make sure he hadn’t missed something the day he met Jesus and baptized him. The question he had his disciples ask was this: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
At the same time, Luke tells us this about Jesus: “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.” Jesus turned to John the Baptist’s disciples and gave them this answer: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” They left with the verification that John wanted to hear.
Jesus saw the crowd that heard the interaction and turned their eavesdropping into a learning opportunity. He also used the incident to help the crowd understand exactly how greatness is determined in the kingdom of God. The regular folks who chose to follow John the Baptist’s teachings were encouraged and even had their decision verified. The power crowd felt the opposite. And many in both groups would eventually turn on Jesus before he gave his life on the cross for their sins and ours.
Our dilemma
Choosing to follow Jesus does not keep us from facing very difficult and painful circumstances. We will still experience the ramifications of many difficult and hard things that happen as a result of the fall of man. Following Jesus doesn’t change that. However, knowing that Jesus is who he said he was and that he died to redeem all things does change how we can respond to the hard things. The resurrection of Jesus and our promised resurrection means there is an end to hard things and a start to experiencing the wonderful and full renewal of Heaven and earth. We will walk this earth one day fully experiencing all that God created it to be.
God’s promises
And while we wait and wade through tough times, we can and must cling to the promises of God. He is good to us and good to his Word. Here are a few promises to cling to when you need some verification in difficult times:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28),
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
These are just a few promises that may help you verify that God is with you, for you, and will never abandon you in seasons of trouble and in the storms of this world. Trust him. Trust his Word. And as people who follow Jesus, let’s do our best work by helping carry the burdens of others during their times of struggle. That is our calling in Christ.
Your time with God’s Word
Luke 7:19-30; 3:2-4, 7-9, 11-22 ESV
Photo by Kelli McClintock at Unsplash.com
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