Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.
John 1:29 ‘Jesus Approaches John’
The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Luke 7: 17-22a ‘Lord Increase My Faith’
17 This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. 18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ 20 When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”’ 21 Jesus had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. 22 And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.
John the Baptist knew that his role was to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah and when he met Jesus he was certain that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the promised Messiah. He even pointed out Jesus to two of his followers, Andrew and John who became Jesus’ disciples. Why then, later on, does John send other followers to check up that Jesus was the Messiah? Why did he doubt? Well, John was now in prison, cut off from the world. He was going through a rough time and needed reassurance which Jesus gave him by telling John’s followers to tell him what was happening.
Do we doubt sometimes, especially when life gets hard, when we feel isolated as we may well do during this lockdown? We wonder why God is allowing this pandemic to spread around the world and affect so many people. John was honest with his doubts, faced up to them and let Jesus know, and in doing so he got reassurance by hearing what Jesus was doing at that time. So with us, if we begin to doubt then we need to set it all out in our prayers to Jesus, to ask him to give us eyes and ears to see how he is still working in our world, not only through the love and care which people are reaching out to support their neighbours but also through the work of scientists who are offering fresh hope in the development of vaccines.
We need to echo the words of the father of an epileptic boy who said, “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me to have more!” (Mark 9:24)
Prayer:
Lord, as this pandemic continues, we are getting weary
and at times we wonder where you are and what you are doing?
Help us to renew our faith in you and your Son Jesus who endured so much for us.
Give us the perseverance and trust which Jesus showed throughout his trials and temptations.
Give us patience, renew our faith and trust and fill us anew with your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reflection & Prayer © 2020 Gillian Wood.
Image of John in prison is © LUMO project (Big Book Media) from www.freebibleimages.com.
A printable version of this Daily Devotional can be downloaded from here
All material within this order of worship is reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356