Recognizing God
Recognizing GodJohn 1:33
"I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
John the Baptist KNEW Jesus. He was his friend and cousin, his mother and Mary were close friends and relatives who shared the experience of their miraculous pregnancies.
John KNEW Jesus by name- but he didn't KNOW or RECOGNIZE that He was the Christ UNTIL he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Him as a dove, like God had told him he would.
All of John's life and ministry was spent preparing the people of Israel for His coming- All of John's life, he already knew Jesus- as a friend and relative- but he did not recognize Him until this very moment.
Two things about this stand out to me;
This is a comfort to be because it shows me that even the most obvious answer God reveals to me, is not a reflection of my ineptness at hearing his voice- but His power to guid and direct all I see and hear as I trust fully in His love to lead me.
I don't have to know it all, I have only to listen to His voice and watch for what He tells me to watch for.
Father, please give me a good believing heart and ears that listen to You, and eyes that watch for the things You have spoken. In Jesus name, Amen.
John KNEW Jesus by name- but he didn't KNOW or RECOGNIZE that He was the Christ UNTIL he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Him as a dove, like God had told him he would.
All of John's life and ministry was spent preparing the people of Israel for His coming- All of John's life, he already knew Jesus- as a friend and relative- but he did not recognize Him until this very moment.
Two things about this stand out to me;
- John was a great prophet, not because of what he knew- but because he was a friend of God, listening to God's voice and believing it. God showed him things to come, as He does with all who will cultivate a friendship with Him.
- Being the greatest prophet of all, until Jesus did not mean He automatically knew all he wanted to know from the Lord. The Lord showed him what he needed to know, WHEN He wanted him to know it.
This is a comfort to be because it shows me that even the most obvious answer God reveals to me, is not a reflection of my ineptness at hearing his voice- but His power to guid and direct all I see and hear as I trust fully in His love to lead me.
I don't have to know it all, I have only to listen to His voice and watch for what He tells me to watch for.
Father, please give me a good believing heart and ears that listen to You, and eyes that watch for the things You have spoken. In Jesus name, Amen.
