"After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.'" ~Matthew 11:1-6
Before our recent vacation, my husband fastidiously cleaned the car. He washed the outside and vacuumed the inside. He used Windex to clean the windows inside and out. But before long, the inevitable happened. Dirty snow coated our car with disgusting, gray grime. The kids spilled things. And, worst of all, our son smeared his grubby fingers on the inside of the back window: cracker salt, ketchup, spit ... and whoever said M&Ms don't melt in your hand has got to be kidding.
Don't ask me why; I think he does it mindlessly. I'm certain he's not trying to send my husband into a fit of anxiety. But the result is that he has disrupted the driver's view of the road with his careless smudges and smears.
John the Baptist was one confident dude at the Jordan River. His vision was clear and unhindered as he boldly declared, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" Months later, though, he found himself in prison where his view of the outside world was distorted by the dirty smears of captivity: false accusation, rejection, loneliness. Eventually, John even came to doubt the reality of Jesus's Messianic position.
In that oppressive environment, what did John possibly have onto which he could anchor his faith? Desperately, he sent his disciples to inquire of the Christ. And gently, Jesus pointed him back to the
evidences of His divinity, asking the disciples to return and recount all the wonders they had witnessed ... the "fingerprints" of God, if you will. Jesus helped John clear away the grime and smudges of pain and circumstance and bring into focus the evidences that proved He was "I Am."
In my life, some of the clearest evidences of God's sovereignty have accompanied some of the most disappointing, embarrassing, difficult, or stressful seasons I've experienced. Graciously, God clears away the smears and distortions and allows me to see the working of His hand. I can see the "little miracles" along the path of the sickness and death of a close family member. I can see the fulfillment of God's promises as I responded to a clear, but difficult calling with childlike obedience. I can see His loving but firm chastening when I fully deserved the consequences of disobedience. I can even see how He orchestrated one of the most convoluted, humiliating experiences of my life to facilitate the emotional healing I was too stubborn to seek on my own. The Spirit brings God's own fingerprints into sharp focus, and in times of fear and doubt, I can cling to those evidences of His faithfulness and grace.
So, what roots you to the truth of God? To what wonders and works of Christ in your life can you look to be reassured that He fulfills His claims as God of the universe? What demonstrations of God's faithfulness can you share with others to explain why you believe what you believe?
As Author of all, God has left His mark everywhere. On everything. In everything.
And He stands waiting with a bottle of divine Windex.
(This post adapted 1/31/09 from a devotional I wrote that was originally published in the Wedgwood advent devotional booklet, Dec. 30 & 31,2007)
