"I am glad I wasn't there." John 11:15 July 21,2012
Brothers
and Sisters who love the Lord,
I
get such comfort from the story or Mary and Martha, included in the New
Testament. God’s sovereignty always affects me that way and I am comforted.
Such comfort with His Sovereignty strengthens my faith.
Read again about their desperate prayers
for their brother, believing the Lord would come and heal him. Hear deeply what
you are reading and let it penetrate your being. “Oh Bread of life meet me
where I am and feed me, by disclosing Yourself to me”.
When
I think about this I want to go bathe, dress in white, and run to my kneeling
place and be alone with Him! then without words (the hardest part) to quiet
myself, refuse distraction (including all electronics) and worship Him. I want
Him to take my face in His holy hands, and speak His love to me; and albeit
more difficult, I want Him to speak humility into my being. “Create in me a
servant’s spirit, LORD, that I may willingly wash my brother’s or sister’s
smelly feet.”
There
are many scriptural lessons in this story to challenge me, lessons which are
wonderful, yet grow sterile when met by a lukewarm heart that has lost its
fervency. We can read His word dutifully; yet stiff-arm the truth He longs for
us to feed on for our growth. Cast aside preconceived thoughts on the proper
way to approach Him. Lay aside ‘the way you have always done it’, grab your
Bible and run to Him with a clean heart, expecting Him to really meet with you.
Ask
the Holy Spirit to give you ears to hear His power and love as you read;
feeling His Presence! Experience His deity and humanity. O how he loved Mary
and Martha, loving them enough to say no to their request; preparing them for
something greater and far better. His plan meant eternal glory. When you
receive a no to your prayers do you question if it is a lack of faith? Or that God
is not pleased with you? Think! Just as it was for Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
His plan for you is greater than saying yes to your request.
A precious young girl, Debra by name, is
in Mongolia on a mission’s trip. Last week while working on a service project with
her church, she was trimming weeds. In her desire to be modest, as the local
paper snapped pictures from behind, she knelt down by the trimmings she was
removing, and afterwards scooped up an arm full of the cuttings adding them to
the pile of waste. She contracted a serious case of poison ivy on her legs, arms
and torso. She is miserable, even as I write this. Many have prayed and asked
earnestly for healing. The answer until now is ‘no’. At a prayer meeting before
they departed she was prayed over again; as was a woman who had a headache. On
the way to the airport she ask her mom and dad why the lady was instantly
healed and she was not. Had she
sinned? What would you tell your 13 yr old daughter?
I
believe God has something beyond wonderful for Debra for He’s trusted her with
this painful trial too precious for us to understand. Which of us can say what
will bring God the most glory? I believe He will receive much glory through her
choice to trust Him and remain sweet; as she deals with poison ivy day in and
day out during the rigors of serving and travel!
After
Lazarus died when Jesus said, ‘I am glad I was not there’; being honest,
doesn’t it seem sort of rude, to be ‘GLAD’ about that which resulted in
another’s death? But the truth is it was an opportunity for them to trust Him
when life didn’t make sense. So too, we can please God with our faith when our circumstances
scream that our faith is foolish! One day when gathered in heaven to see how it
all turned out, we will finally understand what this story illustrates. Read
and be blessed my brothers and sisters… join the crowd of Jews, the curious,
the antagonists, the many friends of Lazarus and his sisters standing outside
the tomb in this unfolding drama. (the following is a partial narration)
“Now
a man named Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one
you love is sick.’ 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.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So
when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and
then ….
Because
His disciples didn’t understand, He finally told them plainly, “Lazarus is
dead, and for your sake I am glad I
was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the
tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and
many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their
brother.
Martha
ran out to meet Jesus. He said to her, “Your brother will rise
again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection
at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one
who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever
lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,
the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
After she had said this, she went back and called her sister
Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary
heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had
not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met
him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed
how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going
to the tomb to mourn there.
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.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with
her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where
have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come
and see, Lord,” they said. Jesus wept. Then Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha said to Him,
‘but Lord…’
Jesus
replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
I am dancing.
I long to ‘believe’ and see His glory! This will only happen, as I fall at His
feet, in faith, and am lost in Him. He longs for us to be consumed by Him. Here
are some obvious truths we are called to embrace as we pray and believe. Warning:
Do not make this about you and place the emphasis on your ‘believing hard
enough’. It is not about you. It is about Him. His will. His glory.
1. Jesus
Timing is perfect: Never too soon, never too late. God operates outside of
time. He is not hindered by the world’s timing: nor does our finite perspective
dictate or minimize His will and purpose for us as we walk by faith.
2. Jesus
timing is right: for each person involved…. His sisters, and all who
witnessed this miracle.
3. Jesus
timing is good: He always works for our good and His glory
4. His
timing reflects His will: working out His good purpose for us
5. His
timing reflects His wisdom: for only He sees the future
6. His timing reflects
His wonder: He touches our hearts and leaves us in awe!
His timing will always give us an opportunity to
believe in Him and without faith it
is impossible to please Him. Faith pleases God.
Read John 11 tonight before
bed and let God pour the warmth of His truth into the deep places of the heart .
Bless you this week. You are
loved by the King!
az
http://www.gramzkidz.com
The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus Christ is so simple that it alsmost defies understanding. By evidenceofdesign| 1 video
