Love Foretold

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:57-80, Matthew 11:1-15, Hebrews 1:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9-10

John the Baptist led an extraordinary life. His very existence was a miracle. God showed mercy to his barren mother, Elizabeth, when she conceived a son in her old age (Luke 1:58). John was chosen to be the prophet who directly preceded Jesus, foretelling the love and mercy that was coming with His arrival (Luke 1:76). John got to be the one who walked on the earth with the long-awaited Messiah, and he even got to baptize Jesus. 

But even with the mountaintop highs of John’s biography, he wasn’t so different from you and me. He was a mere man who experienced doubt and fear. Matthew 11 chronicles the end of John’s miraculous life. John was the victim of an evil plot and was put in prison by King Herod. As he sat and awaited his fate, he questioned if he got it wrong. His suffering was troubling his beliefs, and he wondered if he proclaimed victory and mercy over the wrong person. John asked his disciples to go to Jesus to ask Him this poignant question, 

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3)

Have you ever struggled to believe this too? We are days away from remembering the birth of Christ. Christmas is a beautiful season, and at the same time, it can highlight unmet expectations, disappointment, and sorrow. In the midst of our harried, chaotic, and broken lives, we might find ourselves asking if He is the One we have been looking for. Or, shall we too look for another?

Jesus graciously and compassionately answered John by reminding him of Scripture’s promises—promises from the prophet Isaiah that John would have known intimately. He reminded him of all He had done in His years on the earth, all He had done in the past, and all He would do for every saint from then until God makes everything new again. God has dealt mercifully with His people in fulfilling His covenant with Abraham through Jesus (Luke 1:72-73).

Today, let the Holy Spirit whisper to your heart what Scripture promises. He is the One we should be looking to. Our own strength, Instagram hacks, and perfect to-do lists aren’t going to cut it. Jesus is where life is. He is the only remedy for our sin and brokenness. Meditate on His mercy until it overwhelms your heart with gratitude. God’s mercy to us is boundless, and He is merciful to use man in His redemption plans. He used John the Baptist, and He uses you and me. He is merciful when we sin and doubt; He lavishes us with compassion rather than judgment. He is merciful to save our dead souls.

In the likeness of Christ, He raises our dead souls to life, so we can spend eternity with Him. Christmastime is blanketed in light—allow the season’s decorations to remind you of who you are in Christ. He’s chosen us to be with Him—in His light. 

Written by Kasey Moffett