Dear Bro. John:
I am still thinking on what we read Sunday morning about John the Baptizer. Particularly, this part:
“And John testified, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove, and it remained on him.
And I did not know him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whomever you see the Spirit descend and remain on him, he is the one who baptizes with holy Spirit.’
And I have seen, and I have testified that this is the Son of God!”
When we read that today, it touched my heart thinking how John must have felt when “that moment” occurred just as God had said it would. Though we don’t know exactly when God spoke that to John, and though John did not have the understanding of what God was saying to him, he believed God and held on to what God gave him. All he could have known that day was that the Word of God that came to him prior to this event was fulfilled before his eyes! What a moment that must have been!
As in many of the prophets, when God spoke to them, the thing to be fulfilled had not yet occurred. They had to believe and hold on to what He had spoken. Jeremiah and the captivity of God’s people came to mind:
“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Whew! It took great faith in God to wait 70 years for His Word to be fulfilled. Some probably lost hope and became disheartened. But those who held on got to see how much God loved them – – that beautiful “moment” when the Word of God is fulfilled and the heart is made glad. I pray that we can hold on to whatever God says long enough to see what He has in store for us – – the “moments” of His fulfillment, however long it may take. For surely, with every promise of God, there is a performance of His good word!
I loved the feelings in the reading today. Thank you for all you do to teach us and stir up the Gift of God in us! There is so much more of God to learn than what we will know in this short life, but I am so completely satisfied with the beautiful things He is showing us thus far. We are so richly blessed . . . .
Sandy