Dear John Jesse

by Milan Ford

Last week, millions of people were stunned by the crude remarks Rev. Jesse Jackson made about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, during the commercial break of a Fox News interview.
After watching the clip for myself, I'm still not exactly sure what hit the floor first: my mouth or my heart. Like many around the world, it probably was a photo finish between the two.
"Why in the world would he say something like that?" I thought to myself. It wasn't long before my thoughts lead to some rather intense conversations within my network of friends. As I got in line with ambulance chasers all over the nation, God struck my heart with something. I pray it touches your heart here in this devotional today the same way it did mine.
What do you do when your prayers appear to go unanswered?
One of my favorite Biblical leaders is by far John the Baptist. John's life and destiny had been framed by God before he was even born. John was charged with the incredible responsibility to prepare the people of God for the coming ministry of Jesus Christ. While John's mission was crystal clear, it was far from simple. He spent his entire life in opposition to the religious systems of his day. His stance and unwavering message of repentance was one that led to his imprisonment. And eventually to his death.
In Matthew 11 (v.2-3), God gives you and me an opportunity to look deep into the heart of this leader:
"When John had heard (in prison) about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"
Hard to believe, isn't it? How in the world could John the Baptist, a giant of the faith, a leader of an incredible movement of resistance and change, question whether or not Jesus Christ, the Savior he had dedicated his entire life to preparing people for, was in fact the real thing?
Simple. It was because John...was in prison.
It is amazing the questions you and I can have as believers towards God when we find ourselves in "prison," and when the prayers concerning our lives seem to go unanswered by Him.
"God...why am I still single?" "Why did you allow my business to fail?""Why didn't I get that job promotion?" "Have I not been faithful?"
"Why am I in this prison?" "Are you the coming one...or do I need to look for another?"
Like John, questioning God is something many of us as believers have been guilty of. More often than not, our times of confusion as to what God may be up to can cause us to react in ways that are unhealthy to not only ourselves, but those around us. Last week was a prime example.
Here is John (sorry, I mean Jesse), a veteran civil rights leader, one who (along with many others) has helped paved the way for a new generation of leaders to have the opportunity to rise and make a lasting impact on today's society; the most prominent of which is Sen. Barack Obama.
At a time that many would argue is the twilight of his career, when so many around the world were moving behind a new voice and vehicle devoted to bringing about change...
...God may have allowed us all to look into the soul of a man who quite possibly may have been struggling with and through whom God had decided to bring about that change.
So what does God have to say to those of us, like John (sorry, I mean Jesse), who may want some answers to the prayers and pains of life we no longer feel we can bear?
Take a look back at Matthew 11 (v.5-6):
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see, the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and to poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.'"
What an incredible response! Despite where we may believe we are in life, God unveils through His word that His plans for us may include us, but they are not just about us!
This is a clarion call to each of us as believers today to rise above our struggles and to see things from God's perspective. While He is a compassionate Father, He is also a sovereign King; one who is concerned about our personal lives, but is more concerned about His Kingdom agenda.
Today, I challenge each of us to mature in our prayer life with God. Let's rise above what we see and begin to discover what God may be up to through His perspective. Be sure to always take an examination of your heart when praying through tough circumstances.
'Cause you never know when your mic may be on!

Milan Ford is a 12-year leader (and survivor) of college and student ministry within the local church. He serves as Content Editor for Streaming Faith and as the author of "The Pew View" (www.thepewview.com), a blog for church ministry leaders.
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