When Lazarus became sick, his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, saying "Lord, the one You love is sick" (John 11:3). Mary and Martha knew that Jesus could heal, but they never asked Him to. They simply stated what the problem was and waited to see what Jesus would do. I know that I have not asked for healing this way. I usually say, or more like beg "Lord, heal my body. Heal my husband's body. Give us a baby." Basically I am telling God what He should do. But what Angie pointed out in her book totally spoke to me - recognize who He is (sovereign), tell Him the problem, and leave the rest to Him. Talk about surrender!
Lord, my husband and I are infertile.
After Jesus received word from Mary and Martha about Lazarus, He waited two days before traveling to see them. I'm sure the sisters were beginning to feel impatient, wondering why the Lord did not come immediately. In John 11:14-12, Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus is dead, but He is glad because they will be able to witness a miracle and believe. But Mary and Martha did not know this at the time - they wanted to know that He was coming.
It has been almost a year, Lord. And no baby, not even any improvement in our fertility. Are You really coming? Are You allowing us to wait so our little baby will be a miracle and we and others will believe?
Lazarus died. After being buried for four days, Mary and Martha finally heard that Jesus was coming. The very first thing that Martha tells Jesus when he arrives is that her brother would still be alive if He had been there - John 11:21. But she continues by saying "But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask" - John 11:22. Jesus did go on to tell her that Lazarus would rise, but Martha assumed He meant Lazarus' resurrection into heaven. Then Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even if he dies; and whoever believes in me will never die." Then he asked Martha, "Do you believe this?" And Martha replied "Yes, Lord."
I know that You are God, but I feel hurt that You haven't met me where I wanted You to be. But in this moment of hurt, I believe You are who You say You are. I believe. And I need to hear my own voice declaring that.
So Martha goes back to the house to tell Mary to go meet Jesus. Mary immediately got up and ran. Mary just buried her brother. But when she heard that Jesus was close by, she ran to Him, falling at His feet, saying "Kai nyn" - translated "even now."
Even now, Lord, I believe You can heal. Even now, when the doctor's can't explain. Even now, a year later.
As Mary wept at Jesus' feet, He became "angry in spirit and very agitated." According to scholars, this emotion was directed at death itself, angry at the hurt that Mary and Martha were feeling. And Jesus wept. The Bible reveals that while Mary and Martha were wailing, Jesus was weeping. To paraphrase Angie, Mary and Martha's tears moved Jesus, causing Him to weep. He was not crying over Lazarus' death, but over the hurt He is experiencing with the people He loves. And to quote Angie, "He isn't crying because the situation is hopeless, but because He is an empathetic God. He knows they can't see hope."
Lord, I weep, I wail. You weep for my hurt. At times I can't see hope. But You know that there is hope. I cling to that.
"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." II Corinthians 4:16-18
More to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment