When You Are Offended At God

Matthew 11:2–6 (NKJV)
And 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?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

This might be one of the most shocking moments in Scripture. John the Baptist, the very one who prepared the way for Jesus, is now sitting in prison asking, “Are You really the One?” This is the same man who saw the heavens open and heard the voice of God say, “This is my Son.” And yet, now that things aren’t going the way he expected, doubt and disappointment creep in. John isn’t offended by people. He’s offended by Jesus. Not because Jesus did something wrong, but because He didn’t do what John hoped He would do.

There are moments in life when God doesn’t meet your expectations. When you prayed, and He didn’t heal. When you obeyed, and it still fell apart. When you gave generously, and the financial breakthrough didn’t come. And just like John, you may never say it out loud, but your heart has grown cold. You still go through the motions, still show up, still serve, but there’s a wall between you and God. You’re carrying an unspoken offense toward the One who never fails, simply because He didn’t do what you thought He would.

But notice how Jesus responds. He doesn’t rebuke John. He reminds him. He doesn’t say, “How dare you question Me?” Instead, He says, “Go and tell John what you see and hear.” In other words, “I’m still who I say I am. You just don’t see the full picture yet.” And then Jesus adds, “Blessed is the one who is not offended because of Me.” That’s His invitation to us too. To trust Him when it doesn’t make sense. To keep worshiping when we don’t understand. To lay down our offense and pick up faith again.

Prayer:
Jesus, I admit there have been moments where I’ve been disappointed with You. I expected You to move one way, and You didn’t. I hoped for one outcome, and got another. Help me not to carry offense in the places I don’t understand. Teach me to trust Your heart when I can’t see Your hand. Remind me that You are still good, still working, still faithful. I lay down my right to understand and choose to believe that You are who You say You are. Heal what’s grown hard in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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