Blessed Is He Who Does Not Stumble

[Matt 11:6] “Blessed is he who does not stumble on account of Me.”


John the Baptist was in a dark dungeon and doubts were clouding his thoughts about who Jesus really was. In his state he sent people to ask Jesus if He really was the Expected One or if he should be looking for someone else who would be the Messiah.
Jesus’ response is not what you and I would expect. He talks about the blind seeing, the lame walking, the lepers being cleansed, the dead raised to life, and the poor having the gospel preached to them. Then He makes this perplexing statement, “Blessed is he who does not stumble on account of Me.” Some translations use the word offense instead the word stumble. The word means to be tripped up, or ensnared.
What concerns you and I today in our present situations is can we trust God and will we continue to follow Him when we do not understand what He is doing. In John’s discouraged position when he wanted Jesus to declare His being the Messiah, Jesus in essence says, “Will you follow Me even when you do not understand Me and my ways seem to trip you up.” Isaiah puts it a little differently. Isaiah prophesies, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts’, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” [Is 55:8-9]
Many times in the course of this life God does mysterious things that seem not to make sense when we look at it from our perspective but from God’s vantage point He sees things differently. He has Sovereign purposes in all He does. What He requires of us is our absolute trust. Do I trust Him when my obedience hurts and hurts those all around me? Will I be blessed and happy because I choose to trust Him when what He is doing might trip me up and cause me to stumble?
We love following God when the path is littered with rose petals instead of thorns. We love trusting God when it leads to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but are more hesitant when it leads to the cross. It’s interesting how God’s dungeons can bring out the truth in our hearts and minds. Those secret doubts, private fears, and nagging questions that assault of faith and wear down our faith.
Many of you have been tripped up by Jesus. You cannot make heads or tails out of what He is doing or not doing. You have a couple of choices. You can quit trusting and quit serving out of anger and frustration. This will only turn out bad for you. On the other hand, you can trust even though you cannot see and darkness of your dungeon hides the work of God’s hands.
From real life experiences I have chosen to trust Him. I do not understand why a church we spent over four years trying to plant and grow in East Texas eventually died. I don’t understand why after four of the best years of my life and ministry God would uproot me and take me from people I love. I only know this, I trust Him even when I do not understand His purposes. Though I have been tripped up from time to time I still trust He knows what He is doing and what He is doing is best.
My destiny is in Seminole, TX. Some have been tripped up over that including Brenda and I at different times. We now know beyond doubt now that is where God has purposed us to follow Him. Though much is unknown, knowing that we are in the center of His will is enough for now. Many details remain to be worked out. There are a few loose ends to wrap up in Paradise but Seminole is our new ministry post. I do not doubt that. I may not understand it but I will follow Him.
I am not asking any of you to do something I have not been willing to do myself. I have been forced to trust and follow a God who caused me to stumble on several occasions. Every time I have followed Him despite the confusion, the pain, and the fear, He has proven faithful. Like a line in an old song I once heard says, when you can’t see God’s hand moving trust God’s heart. His will is best even though His will can be difficult.
I am choosing to love, to serve, to follow, and to pursue a mysterious God who wills things at times that might trip me up and cause me to stumble. I know from experience that the path He calls me to walk is not always easy but it is fulfilling. I have encountered His power, witnessed His abundant miracles, and been transformed by the trials He ordained for me. I have also been blessed beyond measure and matured in the faith when I followed Him even though to do so did not make sense to those around me.
God has called me to Seminole. There are miracles waiting, a new vision to receive from the Lord, new people to love and shepherd, and two churches for God to bless; one I have loved with all my heart these past four years and one I am learning to love even as I write this. I will follow the Jesus who at times may cause me to stumble but in the end will always prove faithful. [I Thess 5:24]