This has been an interesting season in my life. I have faced
a lot of things that I did not expect nor, if I’m honest, welcome. Like many of you, I’ve had some moments of doubt, discouragement,
frustration, and even disappointment. But in all of that I’ve still heard God
speak and encourage me to keep pressing and keep living even when I sometimes felt
at the point of giving up. I walk in the mornings and it is a great way to get
my prayer time while exercising. Lately, during this time I’ve been reflecting
a lot about my life over the last couple of years and trying to make sure I am
catching the lessons and tests so that I don’t have to repeat them. This
morning, however, I was led to listen to the Word as I walked and the scripture
that came up was the story of Lazarus. I love this account because you can see
so many lessons in this one chapter. As I listened, I heard God say so clearly,
“Resurrection is calling…are you listening?” Woooooo….I almost tripped! I said,
“Ok, God…that sounds good! Break it down for me!” He began to show me in the
story of Lazarus how Christ offered resurrection but it was missed. He was showing me that it's time to catch hold of what He is offering! The question of
the day is - are YOU listening?
I believe most of us know the story of Lazarus. I always
think of it as one of the great miracles of Christ. In summary, the story goes
like this. Word is sent to Jesus that Lazarus is sick. Jesus responds by saying
that, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the
glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” (John
11:4 NLT) So He stayed where He was for 2 more days. In the meantime, Lazarus
dies. Jesus tells the disciples that He is going to wake him up. They don’t
understand what is really happening but follow Christ. When they get to Bethany
where Lazarus is, Jesus is told that Lazarus had been dead for four days. This
is a huge deal because according to Jewish tradition after the 3rd
day, the spirit of the dead person has left them. Any hope of resurrection is
lost. So for Christ to bring Lazarus back to life, He shows the power of God
and the fact that no matter what a situation looks like or a timeline given by
man, He is able to bring life back. I mean, that’s enough to shout right there!
But we have to go further.
When Martha comes out to meet Christ, they have this
exchange. “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever
you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother
will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said,
“he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am
the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after
dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you
believe this, Martha?” “Yes, Lord,” she
told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one
who has come into the world from God.” (John 11: 21- 27 NLT) Jesus shows us
a whole lot in this exchange. He has just given Martha the key to life. He told
her that anyone that believed in Him will live even after death. God had me to really focus on this
conversation. Martha is looking at death square in the face and though she
believes in Him, her natural mind doesn’t immediately allow her to see life in
Him. She does not immediately see victory. She sees comfort and a future ability
but not a present help. But He is
offering it. Jesus is speaking to every believer that finds themselves dying in
fear, attack, and chaos. He is saying even in death, even when you have reached
your lowest point, you will live!
The story gets even more interesting when Mary arrives to
talk to Jesus. She falls at His feet and says, “Lord, if
only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11: 32 NLT) When Jesus saw her crying and the mourners
weeping, the New King James Version says He groaned within Himself. Other versions
say He was very angry. I thought about this and asked God why He would be so
angry. I believe it’s because He had been offering life throughout His ministry
but people just kept missing it. Even those that were close to Him, from the
disciples to Mary & Martha did not recognize the power that lived in Him.
Even after talking to Martha, she responds to His request to open the tomb by
falling back on tradition and protesting that the smell would be too bad after
4 days. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be to be offering someone
something so good and free but they just can’t see clearly? God showed me how
Lazarus’s actual resurrection was the “you can’t possibly miss this” moment. It
was the culmination of what Jesus wanted the people to believe without seeing a
physical manifestation.
Have you noticed that so many times, you
get so caught up in your circumstances and your death situations that you fail
to see the resurrection that God wants to perform in you? He wants nothing more
than to see you walk out of your tomb, get unwrapped and let go. Will He have
to come all the way to the grave or can you hear Him offering you life now? Can
you hear Him calling your name? I heard Him this morning, say “Ebony, I am the resurrection
and the life!” I started looking down to make sure I wasn’t still carrying
around any of my grave clothes. Are you? I don’t care what has happened to you
this week, this month or this year, Jesus is calling you to life! Whatever
grave clothes you have put on, start taking them off. Husband that doesn’t
understand your struggle…take it off! Children making crazy decisions…take it
off! Supervisor driving you crazy…take it off! Finances out of control…take it
off! Take everything off that has weighed you down so that you can hear
clearly. I guarantee that Jesus is calling you to life! He is shouting, “Come
out!” Are you listening?
“And I assure you that the time is
coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the
Son of God. And those who listen will live.” ( John
5:25 NLT)
AMEN
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