Lysa TerKeurst
October 9, 2024
John
11:1-7
11 Now
a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and
her sister Martha. 2 (This
Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume
on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So
the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus
said, “This
sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s
Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and
Lazarus. 6 So when he heard
that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
John
11:38-42
38 Jesus, once more deeply
moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the
entrance. 39 “Take
away the stone,” he said.
“But,
Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad
odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will
see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then
Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you
always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing
here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close friends with Jesus, they loved Him, and He loved them, but one-day tragedy struck, and Lazarus died. Word was sent to Jesus, but he did not seem to be in a hurry to get to them. Although he did state that Lazarus “condition would not end in death.” He still waited days before he showed up, Lazarus was already buried, and by then his body would be in the decaying process. Yet, this did not limit Jesus; he prayed the simplest prayer of thanksgiving…. What? There was nothing to give thanks for; the man had begun to decay, give thanks? I would have said, “There is no hope because too much time had passed.”
Jesus we are told cried out in a loud voice; Lazarus come out! There the miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life took place. Before calling Lazarus out of the tomb Jesus thanked God for hearing Him, for always hearing him.
The essential message here is that Jesus taught that the seemingly desolate and dead places of our lives could be revived. Do you believe this? You may be confronting a tragedy today, such as the death of a loved one, or challenges in your marriage, with your child, your finances, or even your physical or mental health. While I may not know the specifics of the difficult situation you face, I do know this that God's desire for you and me, is to experience the miracle of renewal and rebirth.
Why not just take this day to give God thanks for hearing your prayers and petitions. Like Jesus, declare your gratitude to God today, rest in His faithfulness, and love for you, and give Him room to move.
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