Scripture: John 11:1-4,14-15, 38-44 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” … So then he told them [his disciples] plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” … Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Devotional: With God, a waiting season is never a wasted season.
Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus was sick, and his sisters Martha and Mary begged Jesus to come to him, believing Jesus could heal him. But Jesus delayed two days before heading to them, and Lazarus died before Jesus got there.
I’m sure you can imagine the grief and the questioning that Mary and Martha grappled with – why didn’t Jesus come sooner?
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? You need for God to come to your aid and timing is critical. You cry out to Him in prayer, and he doesn’t seem to respond. And then, the worst-case scenario happens. And you know God could have prevented it.
If there’s anything that Lazarus’ story teaches us, it is that God’s delay is not His denial. Sometimes His intent is to make a miracle from that deep disappointment. The problem is, we just don’t know when that miracle may come. Friend, that’s where faith comes in. It’s where the rubber meets the road in trusting in God’s purposes, even when He seems late.
Are you willing to trust Him?
Reflect:
- Is there any circumstance where you might be holding a grudge against God for not showing up when you wanted Him to?
- How might you surrender that, trusting that God has a greater purpose?