Those who have walked with the Lord for any length of time know that God does not always answer our questions or prayers quickly. As a matter of fact, there are times that it takes so long in certain areas that we are tempted to think, “Does God care? Will He ever do anything in this area of my life again?”
Mary and Martha were faced with that kind of situation. They had a brother who had become very ill. From the scriptures we can gather that Jesus knew them well personally, and perhaps He had a close relationship with the family apart from just ministering to them.
Mary & Martha sent a message to Jesus:
Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” John 11:3b
The sisters reminded Jesus of His love for Lazarus
Generally, when we ask someone for a favor, we are doing it based on the level of relationship we have with them. We count on the fact that they love us and care about us, so we can ask them for help. Mary & Martha were drawing upon the love that Jesus had for Lazarus to ask Him to come over their house and heal Lazarus.
When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4
Jesus declared God’s plan in this situation
Jesus made a prophetic statement that Mary & Martha would not have had any knowledge of. Furthermore, Lazarus must have died during the time period when Jesus was making this statement. I wonder what the disciples thought of Jesus’ statement when they eventually arrived at Mary & Martha’s house!
When we are faced with a need from others, do we seek God’s will? Do we ask the Lord what our part is in the situation? Or do we jump on the opportunity to help, rescue, resolve, or fix the situation?
Jesus did not allow His own personal emotions or preferences to cloud God’s will in the moment. He also didn’t have His own personal need for significance that would have motivated Him to be in the rescuing mode. His whole ministry was focused on glorifying the Father which meant that at times people weren’t going to like his response to situations. Jesus was content with doing the Father’s will whether others approved of it or not.
I have some people in my life that I would love to help and fix their problems right now. I also know that they have to be ready to do some hard work or my help can just enable them to stay where they are at.
Lord please give us wisdom to know our part in others’ lives. We don’t want to be quick to react but desire to be in tune with your will and your timing!
I will continue with Lazarus’ story in the next devotional.
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