Prove It! — A LifeWords Devotion

If you are burdened by being misunderstood or unappreciated, talk to Jesus about it. He does know how you feel. Take this situation: Jesus has been busy healing people who were outside his religious community, feeding crowds who had no food, and fitting in some walking on water in between times. Now the experts in Messiah spotting turn up and ask him to validate his authority by doing something extra. Just for them. It seems they were more interested in an argument than in actually being convinced by him.

Jesus isn’t interested in being a “dial a miracle” Messiah: Satan had already invited him to pursue such a path and he resisted. Certainly his miracles support his claim to being Son of God, but miracles themselves are no sure indication as being from God: the evil one can work wonders too. But taken with his teaching, his supernatural works form a powerful testimony to his divinity. Except for those who are predisposed against it.

But let’s not just bash the Pharisees. Any of us can be guilty of not being content with trusting in what Jesus has already done. We who have witnessed the great works of God in us and around us can ignore it all and insist God comes good with a few more great works just so we can be sure of him. We set up a sort of test for him: do this good thing for me and then I will truly trust you.

God can surely do more than we ask or imagine. But demanding he do this or that in order to prove his character is not bold faith but fearful unbelief. If God did no more good thing in our lives we can still know he is good by what he has already done for us.

Blessings,