Outside the Walls

The words of Jesus in Matthew 11:6 - "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

This past weekend, our family visited a rather large church in Atlanta, the nation's 2nd largest, as a matter of fact.  And, after hearing Andy Stanley preach, I can see why he is a very in-demand speaker with a tremendous following.   I even said after the message, "that one will end up on In Touch one day."

Andy was addressing how to respond when God seems inattentive, and he used as an example John the Baptist.  John, from prison, sent messengers to Jesus, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Now, that's odd, because this was the cousin of Jesus, the one who had introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God, who took away the sings of the world.   But, John had been imprisoned by King Herod, and perhaps in his isolation and because of the fact that Jesus had not come to release him, he was exhibiting a bit of vulnerability in his faith.  Jesus then said, in verse 4 of Matthew 11: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."

Andy Stanley said when God seems inattentive:  1) Look back and remember what God has done in the past, and 2) Look outside your circumstances and reflect.   Jesus told John the Baptist's messengers that God was working - in a mighty way...the activity of God was continuing to take place, even though he could not see it.


Jesus delivered those words:  "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”  In other words, He reminded John - and us - that even though we don't necessarily see how God is at work, or how, we can continue to trust in Him, and not stumble.   When it seems as if God is inattentive to us, it's helpful to know that our personal circumstances do not necessarily coincide with how God feels about us.   God's love for us was expressed on the cross - and that love never changes.   God may seem inattentive, but we can continue trust that He's still at work.