Its about 11:30 Sunday morning February 10, my barbeque grill is heating up out on our already thawed driveway, and because it feels so mild, I just finished a brief conversation with Vicki about the possibility of going on a motorcycle ride. And as my 91 year old neighbor is heading off to her church, I’m beginning to second guess our decision to cancel this morning’s worship service due to the potential blizzard conditions we were supposed to experience.
Making the decision to cancel our gathering for worship never seems easy, especially when it’s snowing and more snow is forecasted along with increasing wind. Yes, the people in town could more than likely make it (turns out everyone in the county could’ve made it); however, there are so many more issues that come into play, and so rather than inviting people to risk coming to church, we chose to cancel. And of course it’s only in hindsight that we second guess ourselves.
Speaking of second guessing, I began thinking about people in the Bible who made a choice but then in hindsight questioned the decisions they made. I thought of the ten spies that Moses sent out that returned with a negative report—don’t you wonder if they second guessed their trust in God. Or when I read Jeremiah’s complaint against God in Jeremiah 20, I hear him second guessing his willingness to serve as God’s prophet.
And then there was John the Baptist; “When John heard in prison what Jesus was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, Were you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matt. 11:2-3). As John sat in prison, he began second guessing whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. If John really was the one to prepare the way for Jesus, and Jesus really was the Messiah, then why would Jesus leave him sitting in prison? John was wondering if he made a mistake.
And how did Jesus respond to John’s doubts? Jesus responded to John by pointing to the evidence of the work of the Messiah. “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cured, the dead raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Matthew 11:4-6).
Are you beginning to doubt? Hear the good news! Of all the decisions we make in life, you and I can be sure of one thing, we never have to second guess our choice to follow Jesus. He is the way the truth and the life. May we be a confident people who are marked by this truth. No matter how difficult the situation, or how impossible the solution seems, know that God is working in all things for your good! Stand firm! Keep the faith, fight the good fight.
As far as our decision to cancel worship this past Sunday, well, we might not get it right every time—we hope you didn’t take offense. But please know we make our decision based on everyone’s safety…and the amount of groceries in the church kitchen in case we would get stranded. 🙂
Grace to you, and peace…Mike