If you’ve ever wondered if God is truly the loving, powerful, and sovereign God He claims to be, you’re far from alone. The Bible is not afraid to record the doubts of scores of such people—even among its “heroes”. In fact, one of those who asked this question was no less than John the Baptist himself.

Yes, that John. The one who preached “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The one who recognised Jesus immediately, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The one who baptised Jesus, and whom Jesus himself said was the greatest (Matthew 3:2, John 1:29, Luke 7:28).

Yet, later, John sent men to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19)

John might have felt disappointed by Jesus—enough to wonder if he was mistaken about His identity. The arrival of the Messiah should have seen the wicked (like Herod) get punished, but they were doing well. And the faithful, like himself, were not: John was now in prison. Where was the justice? Where were the promises of God?

Jesus’ answer to John is somewhat puzzling. He didn’t retort: “Of course I am, you of all people should know this!” Neither did He say: “I’m so sorry, I’ve failed you.” The Messiah, who was supposed to come and deliver justice, didn’t even offer to rescue John from imprisonment!

Instead, He simply answered: 

“Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (Luke 7:22)

On hearing this, John, a prophet schooled in Old Testament writings, would immediately have understood the import of Jesus’ reply. It harkened back to Isaiah’s descriptions of God’s salvation:

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:5–6). 

What Jesus was really saying was: This is salvation. This is God’s idea of deliverance. This is what the gospel is all about. And this is what I’m here to do.

In short, He was saying: Yes, John, I am the Messiah. But you might have misunderstood what I’m here to do.

Here’s a thought, then, for us to consider. In all those times when God appeared to have disappointed us or failed to meet our expectations—could it be because we have misunderstood Him? Is it possible that we have some wrong expectations of what God should do for us?

And if we, like John, don’t have a complete misunderstanding of God’s purpose and plans, then we might get His ministry wrong. We might expect Him to do some things that He really isn’t here to do. 

Which, of course, begs the question: How would we know His purpose and plans?

If we think about bosses we’ve worked with, or a spouse or family member we relate to, we would have discovered this truth:

We’ve seen long-married couples who seem to know exactly what the other spouse wants or needs, without asking. We may know bosses whom we work well with, because we know exactly what they want from us, and what we can get (or not) from them.

As followers of Christ, then, our challenge is this: How well do we know Jesus? What are His priorities and concerns? What are His main goals? Where do we fit in His plans? What does He expect from us? And what can we expect from Him? What will He do for us, and what won’t He do for us?

It is significant that Jesus’ reply to John made reference to what Scripture said about Him. In effect, He was saying: Look at what the Word of God says about Me. Look at what the Bible says about what I have come to do. And not at what you think of Me, or what you think I should do.

We will not rely on what we believe He should do. We won’t think along the lines of, “If God is really a good God, then why does He allow this to happen? If God is a loving God, then He won’t let people suffer.” 

The Bible has made clear that life may not necessarily get better when we decide to follow Jesus. We will still fall sick, we will still encounter failure and disappointment, and we will still suffer.

Here’s an amazing idea: today, we have the privilege of knowing and understanding Jesus even better than John did.

Why? Because while John only had the Old Testament to figure out Jesus’ ministry, we today have seen His work in the light of His death on the cross, His resurrection, His gift of the Holy Spirit to us, and the Spirit’s continuous work in our lives.

This is why Jesus said: “Among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).

For example, knowing that we serve a God who values each one of us uniquely and who looks at what goes on in our hearts and not the success of our hands, will change the way we think of our identity and significance. Knowing that His ultimate calling for us is to share the good news and His love, will change the way we work and serve others.

The world may measure us by our status, wealth, pay, and networks. But God sees our role only as a child and servant in His kingdom. He only wants to know: Have we been faithful with the talents that He has given us? Have we shone the light of Christ in our lives? Have we walked closely with Him, and sought to please and glorify Him in all we do?

Knowing that suffering can train us and draw us closer to God will change our response to crisis and bad news. We may hurt and life may not get better, but we know that God has a purpose for allowing things to happen, even if we can’t understand it at the present moment. And we know He has promised never to abandon us. 

Life can be—and is almost certain to be—disappointing. But if we feel let down by God, perhaps we can ask ourselves: What are our expectations of Jesus? Have we misunderstood Him and His ministry? Will we seek to know more about Him, and review our expectations of Him in the light of His Word?

And, we can take heart in the unchanging truth: