I think we've all had times where we thought that God should do something and He didn't act how we wanted him to. One of my favorite narratives in the Bible is found in John 11, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. I'm sure that it's familiar to anyone with a Christian background, but I read it recently and found a lot of stuff I hadn't before.
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was sick. They sent for Jesus, saying "The one whom you love is ill". These weren't just some random people asking for Jesus to do another miracle. They knew him personally. Surely, he would come. He had healed many people whom he had not previously met, so surely he would come right away to heal Lazarus. Jesus himself, upon receiving the message says "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
However, it gets interesting. Look at verse 5 and 6: "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." Jesus loved them, so... Because Jesus loved them he stayed where he was. He was TWO miles away (vs.18) he could have been there in half an hour. Instead, he says TWO DAYS longer where he was.
To me this is kind of hard to comprehend. We've heard the story so many times that I think we miss stuff because he know the ending. Think about it from a human perspective. Imagine what Mary and Martha were going through. They sent for Jesus. Surely, he would come. He had the power to heal Lazarus. He had to come. He had healed many people before. Of course he would heal Lazarus. He would come. But Lazarus' health keeps declining, and then he dies. Just imagine the confusion, the grief and the questions. Why didn't Jesus come? I thought he loved us... Why didn't he stop Lazarus from dying? I'm sure that after the initial shock anger began to settle in. Jesus could have done something. How could he let this happen?! In the time when we needed him most... where was he?! He should have been here. They had a friend who they KNEW could heal the sick... and yet he didn't come.
I think we end up in similar situations. Something bad happens, we know God has the power to work into the situation, but he doesn't show up. What then? How do you move on from there.
Thankfully, this isn't the end of the story. Jesus goes to Bethany were Mary and Martha were. When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she went to meet him and said "Jesus, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have died". Mary, on the other hand, "remained seating in the house". I feel that she was still kind of bitter. She wasn't going to see Jesus; to see Jesus would be to be reminded that he didn't come heal her brother.
While Jesus was tlaking with Martha, he told her "Your brother will rise again." Like a good Jew, she answered "I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Martha had good theology; it wasn't that she was wrong, but Jesus had a bigger purpose for that situation. Here's the rest of the conversation: Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord;I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." Even though this was an incredibly hard situation, it didn't change who Jesus was, and despite all the grief, Martha knew this. She was able to believe despite the pain.
Now came Mary's turn. Martha comes into the house and tells her Jesus wants to see her, as well. She came and when she saw him she fell down at his feet and said the same thing her sister did "If you were here he wouldn't have died." Jesus was not unaffected by the grief. He saw her crying and the other mourners weeping as well. "He was deeply moved and trouble in spirit". Here is where the famous verse comes in: "Jesus wept." So often it's easy to think that Jesus just stands by, unaffected while we hurt. He doesn't we serve a loving God, with a real, felling heart. When his children hurt, his heart breaks. Even though Jesus knew the outcome, knew Lazarus would be brought back to life, seeing those he loved hurting made him hurt too.
Jesus came to the tomb. He tells them to take the stone away. I think it's interesting that Jesus had them take away the stone. "But Lord, What about the smell?!", Martha wondered. Jesus tells her that if she believes she will see the glory of God. In order to see the glory of God, we might have to deal with the stench of the past. It might be painful to see Lazarus, all wrapped up, dead. Ultimately, we have to decide whether or not to roll back the stone. They did.
We all know the end of the story. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, showing that he is Lord over the grave and foreshadowing his own resurrection.
Just to close, remember this. God loves you no matter what. It may not look like what we think of as love (most people probably don't traditionally think waiting two days to come, letting Lazarus die as love). Things may not make sense in the situation. We might be filled with questions, anxiety, grief, even anger. It might be hard to have perspective, but we should never lose sight of who God is. We may not be able to see the reason, but there is a purpose for the pain. Be willing to dig out what might be painful. The Lord usually doesn't work in our situations unless we allow him to.
Hopefully, God spoke to you through this. If you're reading this and need prayer, just let me know. I would love to pray for you!
