So That You May Believe

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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?

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