Hope in Waiting 8/11/19

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (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.) 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 this that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days, and then He said to His disciples, let us go back to Judea.” John 11:1-7 As we saw,  Jesus did not go right away, He waited two days. There was a purpose to His waiting…that the Son may be glorified through it! When Mary and Martha saw Jesus, they said to Him, ,” Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ” They were confident that Jesus would not just stand by and let anything happen to the one He loves. Then, Jesus said, “Where have you laid him?” …”Roll the stone away!” The stone is removed!  They took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard me. Know that You always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they believe that You sent me. “John 11:41-42 Having said this, He called loudly, ‘Lazarus come out Just as Lazarus came forth from the tomb at the command of Jesus and was set free, we are set free from our bondages, sin, shame, guilt, insecurities, fears—all that hinders us from the freedom we have in the Lord Jesus. Alleluia! Is this freedom in Jesus worth waiting for! All Glory to God! Jesus always sets an example for us.  He took advantage of every situation to glorify His Heavenly Father.  If someone was in need of healing, was in distress, hungry, Jesus fulfilled that need. Even lepers came to Him and Jesus was not afraid to lay His Hand on them.  Mary Magdalene had no need to be ashamed anymore because Jesus cleaned her up with His love and forgiveness!    At times, we doubt God’s love for us. At times, we wonder where God is when we need Him most. Why do we have to wait so long before the answer comes?  What happens when it seems as though God does not answers our prayers? Is He still a good God?  When we don’t see the hand of God, let us trust the heart of God to know that He always has a plan and a purpose. It may not be in our time and according to our plans, but if we are willing to trust Him, believe Him, obey Him in faith, He will show His glory. “For those who love God, all things work together for good.” (Romans 8,28) As Christians  we acknowledge that we have stones in our lives. They may not be as heavy as the one they had to move for Lazarus. Some are lighter, some are heavier. But come Jesus’ Resurrection Day, Jesus walked through the stone! He is there for us, He is our example, and He is worth waiting for! He wants to reveal His glory!! Amen! Alleluia!