Have you ever been disappointed by God’s slowness in responding to your needs, your crisis, your desires? In verses 21 and 32 Martha and Mary both vent their disappointment that Jesus was not on the scene soon enough to save their brother Lazarus from death. “Lord, if you were here,” they said, “our brother would not have died.” Of course, these are not only words of disappointment but words of belief, since they assumed that Jesus could do something to heal their brother and spare him from death. What they didn’t figure is that Jesus could still do the miracle they had hoped for even though it didn’t fit into their time table or expectations. In other words, God’s timetable operates outside the bounds of our timetables. Don’t forget that upon hearing the news that Lazarus was severely ill, Jesus waited a few days before even going to him. He did this because he was looking to do a greater miracle than Mary and Martha had anticipated. They hoped Jesus would cure a sick man but he went one better by raising a dead man!
Perhaps Christ is wanting to do an even greater miracle than we anticipate. And sometimes the greater miracle seems longer in coming than the smaller miracle we hope for. We may want the miracle of getting a lucrative job that will help us maintain our lifestyle but maybe God is doing the even greater miracle of helping us downscale and be content with less. We may want to meet the guy or girl of our dreams but maybe God is wanting to do an even greater miracle by giving us peace and contentment with him alone. We may want our sickness to go away but maybe the greater miracle comes when he gives us joy and a profound sense of his presence even in the midst of the storm of sickness. Today, I am willing to wait for the miracle God wants to do in my life- in his time, in his way!
5 comments:
As I look back over times in my life that were very difficult and involved what seemed like endless waiting for God to respond, I realize that my most valuable faith building moments were in the wait. And I wouldn't trade the wait for anything because the wait is when I grew closest to the Lord.
Amen, Erica. That waiting stuff is miserable and yet God seems to do his greatest work in the waiting - at least in my life. It helps me to remember that when I am waiting he is working. I just can't see what he is doing. I also have gained some comfort in the fact that the Old Testament was about waiting and after Christ returned to heaven the New Testament is about waiting. It still is hard but certainly does fit his mode of operating. For me the hardest part is the sense of time passing and doesn't he see how much has passed by and how fast life is moving. When I look back I can see what he has done in my life and I realize how much he is working..... I think I will spend some time today waiting on him....
It seems as if Jesus realizes that He has to do something really big to convince the Jews that He truly is the Christ. Although He repeatedly says, "I'm telling you the truth" they still don't believe, with a few notable exceptions, e.g., the un-named blind man in ch 9. They gather around Him in ch 10 and ask, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If your'e the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus' frustration is palpable as He replies, "I did tell you but you do not believe . . ." Feeding 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish is big; walking on water is big; healing the blind is really big, yet they still don't believe. So Lazarus comes out of the tomb after Jesus prays a poignant little prayer. I like this prayer: "Thanks, Dad for hearing me. I know you always hear me." I want to have faith like that. Where? Oh, where is my faith? I don't want to have mediocre faith, dependent on God granting my endless requests. I want my faith to make a positive difference in this world. I want God to be pleased with my faith--or, at least my desire to strengthen my faith.
I too want to be in the waiting mode, because God's timing is so much more better than mine.Even though the waiting seems slow , and hard at times he has his purpose in it all. So wait I will and where he leads I will follow.
Thanks for your insights. Like several of you, I have grown most in the waiting on God process between point A and point B. The Hebrews of the Old Testament were made into a great nation through the wilderness waiting on God process between Point A (Slavery in Egypt)and Point B (The Promised Land). We learn lots about God in the wilderness, don't we?
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