So That You May Believe

-

Read John 11:11-43

Let’s visit the sisters at Bethany one more time.
Mary and Martha have set an example for us by believing in Jesus as the Messiah, even though He did not act in the way they expected or hoped. When Martha questions why Jesus didn’t come to save Lazarus’ life, she immediately follows it with a statement of faith. “Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” (John 11:22) When Jesus tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live,” she affirms her belief again.
There is no doubt that the sisters did not allow their questions to shake their faith. We don’t always understand why God does what He does, or why He waits to act, but we can still remain solid in our belief that God is God and He loves and cares for us. That never changes. We can depend on it.
Jesus twice points out that the reason he waited was “so that you may believe.” (John 11:15, 42) This is a wonderful reminder that God’s deepest desire is for us to come to faith and to have relationship with Him. Jesus’ purpose on earth was to show us who God is and how much He loves us by taking the punishment for our sins. This opened up a way for us to be eternally with God. Each time Jesus acted or waited or spoke, He did so with this in mind.
By waiting in this case, perhaps more people had the chance to see God’s power at work. Maybe Mary and Martha had something to learn in the process. Or someone in the crowd of mourners needed to draw near to Jesus. Or you needed to hear this story of God’s miraculous power so that you would believe. We can’t possibly know all of the reasons or implications of the waiting, but we can be sure that Jesus acted out of His goodness for the purpose of drawing more people into a relationship with God.

Could this time of waiting be used to bring more people to believe in Christ?

What helps you to maintain your faith even when things are not going the way you had hoped? Where do you turn for a solid reminder that God is faithful?
Be honest about how your waiting times have affected your faith? Take time to write about the ways God has shown His love and faithfulness to you, even when your specific desired result had not come. What resurrections have come forth out of the death you’ve experienced?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Committed to Prayer

-
Image
Read Daniel 10 to get the full story, but today we will focus on just the first few verses. As you read, take note of how Daniel prepared himself to hear from God, and also notice the important messages given to him when the information was revealed. The book of Daniel is packed full of wonderful accounts of God’s power manifest in Daniel’s life – the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. There’s plenty there to study and learn. This time I want to focus on a lesser known account in chapter 10, which gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm. The first thing I noticed is how committed Daniel is to his prayer. In verses 2 and 3 we read about his sacrificial approach and focus on seeking God.   He describes himself as “mourning.” The definition of the original word here indicates lamenting, or walking with head downcast.  When we find ourselves in this condition, we need to follow Daniel’s example and go directly to seeking God. And his isn’t a quick pr
Read more

Meager Bread and Water

-
Image
  Read Isaiah 30:20-22 What truth is contained in these verses!! When we seek the Lord during hard times, things will become clearer and powerful things happen. Let's look at the three basic lessons that have become clear to me as I've studied this passage. First, God provides what we need – “meager bread and water.” Although we may be learning to do without some things, we still have a God who will meet our needs and help us become aware of our greediness for more than that. He has promised that when we first seek Him, He will provide for the daily stuff we tend to worry about (Matthew 6:33). Second, our Teacher will not be hidden and He will not be silent. Adversity helps us to grow and to learn about what God wants from us. As we stumble through the chaos, we will begin to see God in the midst of it, and God’s voice will become clearer.   He will lead us in His ways. Finally, when we are struggling, our lives get sifted. As the shaking continues, we begin to recogniz
Read more

Waiting Stinks

-
Image
Read John 11:1-4 (We'll go farther in the story next time) Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick. Very sick. His sisters sent for Jesus, the compassionate miracle-worker. When Jesus didn’t come right away, Martha and Mary suffered. They expected Jesus, the Healer who loved them, to come and save Lazarus. When Lazarus died instead, they were left with their own thoughts and questions. I can imagine that they wavered in their faith, sometimes thinking, “Jesus has so many people to help, of course He couldn’t just come when we asked,” and sometimes “But He’s our friend. Aren’t we important enough to Him that He would come and help?” They maybe even wondered why Jesus didn’t say the word from afar and save Lazarus’ life. He’d done it for others. Why not for them?
Read more