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Topic: View From The Valley
[DCLM Daily Manna 21 March 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Matthew 11:1-15
1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, 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.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
KEY VERSE: “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” – (Matthew 11:2,3)
MESSAGE:
It has been said that when a person is in the valley, he is in such low depths that he is unable to see all the great work of value. The valley of depression disallows him a full-orbed sight of the beauty of nature.
John the Baptist appeared to have slipped into that condition while in prison. He was suffering for his non-negotiable stand on marital purity. He had vehemently disagreed with Herod on his sinful decision to marry his own brother’s wife. In anger, Herod jailed him, apparently expecting that the fiery “voice crying in the wilderness” would stand down. In bonds, John could not capture the great sky-reaching miracles of our Lord Jesus that confirmed Him as the long-awaited Messiah; hence, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus.
The Lord did not upbraid His forerunner for his momentary doubts. He asked that John be showed the spectacle of “those things which ye do hear and see”. Unprecedented signs, wonders and miracles were taking place: the dead were being restored to life; the blind were seeing; the lepers were being cleansed; the dead could hear; the lame could now walk; and the poor had the good news of the kingdom of God preached to them. These were exploits that could only be attributed to the Messiah. Jesus needed not to say more to John whom He hailed as being “more than a prophet”.
What we view from the valley does not tell the whole story. The dwarfing scene in a depressed state contradicts heaven’s sunny position that there is light at the end of the tunnel. So, when you are downcast with challenges that tend to cut you from the reality of God’s promises, do not surrender to the low-lying shrub. Look up to the hills and tall trees pointing you to God. “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD…”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The valley experience should lead you to the hills.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 4-6
