Where is God when we need him? In John 11, Jesus gets a message from friends that he is needed immediately at the bedside of a dear friend who is near death. Upon hearing that request, the text tells us a rather odd thing---that Jesus decided to wait. I think how many times I have asked God to show up in some way or respond quickly because I was facing some crisis or challenge. I needed to hear from God. And then, God seemed to be silent. Where was God when I needed him most? If he really loved me, why was he so distant?
While Mary and Martha are left suspended in the unknown, the text does a remarkable thing. It allows us to hear what’s going through the mind of Jesus. We learn that Jesus had the bigger picture—we find out that he not only had a plan but that he also knew the precise timing that would bring about the greatest glory to his Father. The problem was that Lazarus’s sisters were not privy to what God was thinking. I hate when that happens!
Think about how different this story would have been had Jesus arrived on the sister’s schedule. Or, how much easier it would have been if the sisters just knew what God was thinking. That’s the point of the story. The days between their request and Jesus response felt like silence to them. But, in fact, these were the days when God was doing his greatest work. It’s in these “in-between days” that God allows us to face our doubts and stretches our faith. We are not born with great amounts of faith, it has to be developed.
We have the advantage of being able to look at the end of the story. We know that in the case of Lazarus, God had a plan and a purpose and because Mary and Martha continued to trust Jesus despite their doubts, God worked all things together for good as he promised in Romans 8:28. While I love what God did in this story, I really don’t get as excited when I find myself in that in-between time. Ever been there? Perhaps you are there right now. God feels distant. You Need God to show up now but he seems strangely silent.
John reminds us in this beautiful chapter that it is in this time, that God is doing his greatest work in you. I love John’s comment that Jesus waited “although he loved Mary and Martha.” Like these sisters, God loves you deeply—he really does. He has a plan and a purpose for what you are going through right now. Continue to listen, follow and trust him. And like the sisters in this story, do your part. And then, watch and see God continue to unfold his creative work in you that weaves all of the circumstances of life together (yes the joy and the pain) in a way that cares for you and brings glory to himself.
While Mary and Martha are left suspended in the unknown, the text does a remarkable thing. It allows us to hear what’s going through the mind of Jesus. We learn that Jesus had the bigger picture—we find out that he not only had a plan but that he also knew the precise timing that would bring about the greatest glory to his Father. The problem was that Lazarus’s sisters were not privy to what God was thinking. I hate when that happens!
Think about how different this story would have been had Jesus arrived on the sister’s schedule. Or, how much easier it would have been if the sisters just knew what God was thinking. That’s the point of the story. The days between their request and Jesus response felt like silence to them. But, in fact, these were the days when God was doing his greatest work. It’s in these “in-between days” that God allows us to face our doubts and stretches our faith. We are not born with great amounts of faith, it has to be developed.
We have the advantage of being able to look at the end of the story. We know that in the case of Lazarus, God had a plan and a purpose and because Mary and Martha continued to trust Jesus despite their doubts, God worked all things together for good as he promised in Romans 8:28. While I love what God did in this story, I really don’t get as excited when I find myself in that in-between time. Ever been there? Perhaps you are there right now. God feels distant. You Need God to show up now but he seems strangely silent.
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