In God’s Time

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” John 11:32 NLT

The story of Lazarus has always stood out in my mind as one of the more dramatic healings that Jesus performed in the Bible.  It is one that inspires me to have hope no matter how challenging and hopeless a situation may seem.  Lazarus had been dead four days by the time Jesus showed up on the scene.  There had been four days of weeping and mourning, four days of wondering why Jesus hadn’t come when they sent word that Lazarus was sick.  But Jesus waits.

I can’t help but ask why Jesus would wait?  He knew that Mary and her sister Martha would have been in great distress.  Mary and Martha knew that Jesus had performed many miracles; they had been witness to many. They must have been wondering why Jesus didn’t come and lay hands on Lazarus and heal him, especially since this wasn’t some random stranger that came to him pulling on his robe. The Bible says this was the one He loved.

Have you ever been in that place of asking God why?  What a painful place that can be.  We know that God can do all things, but often it seems that God doesn’t move based on our timeline. Mary and Martha even said to Him that had you been here, this wouldn’t have happened.  I’ve asked the Lord that myself, God, if You would have shown up when I prayed, this circumstance wouldn’t look like this.  Why does God appear to be late?

In Mary and Martha’s timeline, Jesus shows up four days late to stand outside Lazarus’ grave.  Maybe Mary and Martha thought that Jesus was going to weep outside His grave with the rest of the Jews who had gathered, but instead of staying silent, Jesus opens His mouth and calls out Lazarus’ name and commands him to come out.  I can only imagine the look on Mary and Martha’s faces. In one dramatic moment in time, a hopeless situation just became a miraculous occurrence that went beyond what Mary and Martha ever imagined Jesus doing.

So was Jesus actually late after all?  Or was this exactly what Jesus had planned all along?

The Bible tells us in John 11:45 that many of the Jews who had seen what Jesus did put their faith in Him.  Mary and Martha were hoping that Jesus would have come to Lazarus’ sickbed to heal him, but instead, Jesus came after Lazarus had been dead for four days and performed an unforgettable, unexplainable miracle that brought faith to many of the onlookers that were gathered outside the grave that day.

Not only does this miracle remind me that God’s power knows no bounds and that He is the God of the impossible situation, but it also reminds me that we can have complete assurance that God is faithful in all circumstances.  Like Mary and Martha, we may question His reasoning and His timing, but I pray that through this amazing story, you can take courage and remember that God is doing more in your waiting and more in your story than what our human hearts can perceive.  And just like this story, He is often working out situations and circumstances that will have the most impact on those around us. So that His glory may be magnified through your lives, and even more people will have their eyes opened to know Him for who He truly is.

Maybe today you feel as though God is four days late, or maybe 40 years too late, but the same Jesus that stood outside the grave of Lazarus that day is the same Jesus who is standing next to you, asking you to trust Him.  He is working all things for your good (Romans 8:28).  He has the power to command the dead to rise; surely, there is nothing you can bring before Him today that is beyond His miraculous touch.

Lord, we may not always understand what You are doing in our lives; many times, our circumstances don’t make sense, and we question like Mary and Martha, we wonder why You showed up too late.  Help us to have complete assurance today that You are the same God that raised Lazarus to life at just the right time, and You have the same power to transform any situation or circumstance that we are facing today that seems impossible.  In fact, impossible situations are often where You do Your best work.  Today I choose to surrender all of my circumstances to You and to trust that Your timing is perfect as You work all things for my good and for Your glory.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!