Sheree Morris
I have recently been reading through the gospel of John, and I stopped and dwelled on the story of Lazarus in Chapter 11. I was so struck by the many different emotions which are all intertwined within this particular story.
Trust in the Father in verses 4-6 - Jesus so loved Lazarus and yet He still stayed another two days, after announcing that this sickness would not end in death.
There is faith in verse 22 - now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to you.
Obedience in verse 29 when Mary heard that the Teacher was asking for her - she sprang up quickly to go to Jesus.
Overwhelming care and compassion for others in verse 31 - when the Jews saw Mary rush out they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to pour out her grief there. They were ready to follow her, to remain with her to offer comfort.
Disappointment in verse 32 - Mary expresses to Jesus that, if He had been there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died.
Compassion and intense grief in verses 33 and 35 - Jesus was deeply moved and troubled when He saw Mary and the Jews sobbing and then He wept too.
I have had moments of great faith, trust and obedience in my life, but equally moments where it’s been hard to see anything because of all that I have been troubled with. Sometimes things in our lives totally overwhelm us and we can experience fear, unbelief, and frustration. Our daily walk with Him can have moments of great joy but also times of great sadness, almost simultaneously.
Mary clearly struggled with the death of her brother, even though she was so absolutely close to Jesus. But the good news is that He knows when we are able to cry out to Him in our distress and trouble, and He equally knows when even that seems too hard some days.
He gets it. He totally understands but He still remains with us, right by our side. He waits patiently for the day when, like Mary, we will spring up and go to Him - confident that He has been near all along, watching over us and waiting with unfailing love. Then, with all our pain, sorrow, and burdens in hand, we can surrender them to Him, trusting that He stands ready to heal us and make us whole again through His restoring grace.
It’s good to remember that, in our troubles, it is Jesus who is the author of our lives - not our circumstances, not our history, not our hurts and pains, not other people, but Jesus. He has already written your story and it’s better than what you think it is.
Let’s not forget His name: ‘El Shaddai’ (meaning ‘God Almighty’ or ‘All Sufficient One’). In every situation, in our everyday circumstances, He is sufficient.
Don’t hold back, don’t wait, don’t hold on to your pain or burdens a moment longer. Jesus is walking your journey with you, His presence is your strength and your anchor, and He comes to you with healing in His wings, to bring you to a point of restoration and wholeness.
Spring up and run to meet Him. He is waiting.
For you who fear My name with awe-filled reverence, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap joyfully like calves released from the stall.
(Malachi 4:2, AMP)
