I don’t have all of the answers and I’m not perfect. Many of
the posts that I write are born out of how the Lord is dealing with me and my
life. But what I have come to realize is that He gave me this platform, this
life, and even the challenges that I face for one reason…for His glory. And
guess what, the same goes for you. I know, I know! It’s hard to accept the fact
that the pain of last year or the financial struggles of last month would be
for anything but to tear your nerves up. But it’s true. I’ve really been
thinking about the story of Lazarus lately and what Jesus said about His glory
has stuck with me.
“But when Jesus heard
about it He said, “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)
I began to look at this story in the context of my life and
I invite you to do the same. Jesus received a message from Mary and Martha that
Lazarus was very sick. It’s just like when you pray. You tell Jesus what the
issue is, right? Then, if you are like me, you wait for the response that works
in your favor. Come on, let’s just tell the truth today! You pray, hoping that
Jesus is going to move right then and bring forth whatever you asked. Sometimes
the answer is immediate and you give Him praise but sometimes there is no
answer or it isn’t what you expect. Which brings me back to Jesus’s response to
the sisters’ message. He received the message. He acknowledged the message. He
responded to the message. The sisters, however were not present to know that He
did those things. Their reality was still happening, right? Lazarus was still
dying, and the text does not say that Jesus sent a message back to them to say
that He was on the way. If I don’t hear from the Lord, then my natural
assumption is, He didn’t hear my request so let me pray again. However, this
story reminded me of something today. Jesus does not have to respond to my
request but I can trust that He hears it. Let’s keep going.
So after Jesus makes the statement that Lazarus’s sickness
is for the glory of God, you would hope the next line is Jesus making His way
to Lazarus’s side but that’s not it. The Bible says, “So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he
was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to
Judea.” (John 11:5-6, NLT) Jesus had already stated that the sickness would
not end in death and even though He loved the family, He was moving and working
on His timeline. The fact that it is taking 2 months, 2 years, 2 decades for
your answer to come does not mean that Jesus doesn’t care. It doesn’t mean that
He has forgotten you or moved on. What it does mean is that He is going
according to the plan. His plan! He knew it would happen, knew the outcome, and
didn’t have to adjust His pace because the sisters were nervous. If you can
acknowledge God has the creator of the universe, you must recognize Him as a
God that has a plan. And not just any plan, but a well written, well scheduled,
detailed, and precise one that takes into account your distrust, doubt, and
absolute willingness to throw in your own bullet points and ideas when you don’t
like His. Today, on this Thursday, can you get on board with His plan? Even if
it means you have to wait for Him to do His portion.
I should point out here that Jesus remains keenly aware of what is happening. Why? Because He knows the plan! He tells His disciples that Lazarus is dead before they arrive. When they question Him, He essentially repeats Himself - Lazarus dies so that He can get the glory! He dies so that when He wakes Him up their faith would be stronger. Could it be that Jesus is building your faith for your next? You HAVE to be able to believe Him to go where you are going!
So Lazarus dies and the sisters are in their feelings when
Jesus shows up. This reminded me of my breakdowns, temper tantrums, bouts of
seclusion. You see, your flesh is not set up for waiting or disappointment.
Think about Eve. She got caught up in that fruit situation because the enemy
played on her feelings and her need for revelation. The sisters pointed out
that if Jesus had been in place, none of their pain would have happened. Does
it sound familiar to anyone but me? I prayed and asked for a particular outcome
and it has not happened. Where were you, Jesus? It’s too late now. Have you
been there? Have you had a Mary moment? Jesus’s response is action but also
anger and weeping. At this point, He’s
done 3 years of ministry, healed countless folks, spoken life to people,
specifically these people but still doubt and death was the primary reaction to
His presence. Have you thought about what Jesus thinks about your response?
This story has so much that I could talk about from the
miracle of the 4 days, to the resurrection, to Lazarus coming out with a word.
But today, I want you to focus on this. “Jesus
responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
(John 11:40, NLT) People of God, I need you to believe that what you have
prayed, Jesus heard, acknowledged and responded. He wants you to believe Him.
He wants you to know that you will see God’s glory even in this. I’ve seen
people get saved because of someone’s death. I’ve seen people get off of drugs
because someone got sick. I’ve seen people get stronger while they were out of
work. Your pain will not be unto death. Your financial struggles will not be
unto death. Nope! It happened for the glory of God and He will get the glory
out of it!
Amen
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