Monday, March 24, 2025
New Testament Reading Plan: Matthew 11
I am a recovering control freak!
I want things to end the way I believe they should, because I am smarter than most people. Wait! What?! No, I am not! I just want what I want and am unhappy when I don’t get it.
Reading Matthew 11, I sympathize with John the Baptist, who had been imprisoned by King Herod. John’s disciples were attending to his needs, bringing him news of Jesus’ ministry. But I think he was suffering from a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out), impatiently waiting for Jesus to change the world.
Matthew 11:2-3
2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
In other words, John was asking, “If you are the Messiah, why am I still in prison?”
Jesus tells John’s disciples to report back everything they had seen and heard—the sick were healed, the poor were taught the Good News, and the dead were raised—exactly as the prophet Isaiah had predicted about the Messiah. He did not, however, mention anything about “setting the captives free.”
Are John and I the only ones for whom things don’t always turn out as planned? Or maybe I just have selective hearing, whereby one thing is said, but I hear something completely different. Can we trust that God is good when things don’t alway turn out like we thought they should?
John realized that his only choice was to trust God with the part he had been called to play and let go of the rest. So, he continued in faith, trusting in God’s plan as his own followers left to follow Jesus—just as John told them to do (John 3:30).
Like John, we must trust God with the parts we are called to play, and let go of the rest. It takes practice, and we may not always be happy with the immediate results. But it turns out that God is actually the smartest guy in the room, and his plan is always best!
Questions:
Is it hard for you to trust God when things aren’t going your way? How familiar are you with his promises to you?
Next Steps:
Journaling is a great way to track God’s faithfulness in our lives. Consider starting a journal to keep track of all the ways God has provided for you.
2 Corinthians 1:20 (emphasis added) says, “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means, “yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
Search for and read about God’s promises to you. (You can Google them!)
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, your way is truly best. Help me to trust you at all times and in all ways. I surely do not understand why things happen as they do, but I trust that you are the smartest, best, and most loving being in the whole universe. Thank you for your promises to me that never fail! It’s in your beautiful name that I pray, amen!
Series Theme Verse:
Hebrews 4:15
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
This post was written by Lauri White, an Oregon attendee, and a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.