There comes a time in every martyr's life when he will question his own message. "Am I really preaching the truth? Because it's costing me a lot..." No one sane would risk their life for something they didn't really believe in, so when you start suffering for preaching something, it's probably time to start wondering if it was really worth preaching it.
For John the Baptist, this moment came when he was in prison. Having baptised Jesus already, and hearing the things He had done, John sent a message with one simple question: "Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
We can speculate a lot about John's mindset at this time. I don't want to be dogmatic about this, but already the Jews had presumed the Messiah would overthrow their oppressors, so with that in mind, and based on the final line in Jesus' response, I think it's fair to assume that John was likely feeling a bit betrayed. Why wasn't Jesus breaking him out? Why wasn't He protecting him? But in His response, Jesus basically says "don't worry about all that. I'm doing what was written about me. Focus on God, and you will receive a great reward."
Following some of the most vicious attacks by ISIS, I became aware of an inspirational Christian quote: "you can take my head. I have a God who can give me a new one." John the Baptist was eventually beheaded, but I can guarantee you, he doesn't mind. He's alive and imperishable, seeing glory we can't even imagine.... yet. I can hope and pray that none of you reading this will ever be killed, or even injured for God, but this much I can say: God will reward you for your endurance. Whether the pitiful screeches of the radical Left or the deadly forces of the radical Right, there is nothing man can take from you in this life that God won't give you back a hundred times more in the next.