I Didn’t Know

Reading: John 1; Psalm 59 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.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” (John 1:33-34 NLT) I love this little vignette in John 1:29-34! As I read these verses, the story plays like a video clip in my mind. John began his ministry with a commission from God to prepare the way for the Messiah, “The One” who would redeem Israel and introduce the Kingdom of God to the realm of man. John had been given a sign; “The one upon whom you see the Holy Spirit descend and rest, he is the one.” John didn’t know exactly what that would look like, but he launched into an “Everything on the line and no turning back” ministry, believing that one day, somehow, the sign would be fulfilled and “The One” made known. Imagine John’s surprise and joy when the sign of the abiding Holy Spirit was fulfilled on his cousin Jesus, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth! Imagine the faith John had exercised up to this point and the faith he exercised in looking at his cousin and saying for the first time, “Look, he’s The One, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” I want to be a man of faith. It is my desire to be in a faith/trust/love quality relationship with God so that when he wants me to speak about him and for him, I will begin to declare what I believe he has said even before I know the details, even before I know just how it’s going to look. Prayer:

Father, For however much time I’ve got remaining to be one of your men here on planet earth, I want to know you, to hear you, to communicate with you and receive communication from you, and to speak and act in faith even before I can see how it all plays out. I don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to ever steer someone wrong. But I do want to love you, hear you, and boldly speak up for you even when I don’t know exactly what the outcome looks like. Amen.