I wonder how many times John had to repeat these words to his
followers as well as to his detractors.
Is John ever tempted to stake his own claim as a prophet and not be
satisfied being a warm up act for the main event? I can imagine how such thoughts could have
been planted and cultivated in John by others who saw his potential or who
feared his influence.
John is a magnetic personality with intense passion,
boundless energy, and deep insight, not to mention a special connection with
the Almighty. I cannot imagine his aged parents had not repeated his miraculous
birth story to him over and over in the hopes that he would understand how
special he was and how he was destined to fulfill a special mission for God. But when did he discover that mission? When did he recognize his unique role in ushering
in the coming of the promised Messiah?
Did he ever wonder why his younger cousin Jesus was chosen and not him,
to be the One? How does God first plant
the big picture in his heart and how is that vision nurtured over time?
The fact is that at some point, perhaps when he strikes out into
the desert on his own to wrestle with God, he forges the character that will
not only provide a clear and certain voice announcing the arrival of the Lamb
of God, but also cement a conviction that did not let him whither under the
scrutiny and persecution that led to his untimely death. What sustains him is a certainty that God called
him and would sustain him through it all.
He resisted the temptation to claim what was not his, and to pour his
heart and soul into proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom of God. I am humbled when I think of that level of
commitment to a cause—to a person. Lord,
give me that passion for you and the certainty of your leading! Let me also be one who prepares the world for
your soon arrival.
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