When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved.
“Where have you put him?” He asked.
“Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.”
Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved Him!” But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying.”   John 11:33-37 HCSB

Our scripture passage today speaks of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Now we know that Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus had become Jesus’ friends.  Lazarus got sick and his sisters sent word to Jesus saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick”.

Now we know as well as Mary and Martha knew that if Jesus had chosen to heal him then, that it could have been done.  Jesus could have healed him even though He was not there, right?

So the question some of the Jews had, was, “why did Jesus let him die”?

If you read Chapter 11 from beginning to end, you will see that Jesus got word that Lazarus was sick and stayed two more days where he was.  Could you imagine going into the emergency room and being told to hold tight for a couple days and then a doctor would see you?  In the time that Jesus stayed, Lazarus died.

In verse 4, Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death.  Now we know that Lazarus did indeed die, but we also know that this is not how his sickness ended.  Jesus raised him from the dead.  So the question is, why did Jesus allow him to die?  Why did Jesus allow Mary and Martha to suffer the loss of their brother, even temporarily?  This is answered in verse 4.  Jesus said to his disciples,  “It is for God’s glory so that God’s son may be glorified through it.”

Now when Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, Martha runs out to meet Him and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask.”  This shows us that Martha believes that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and she says so in verse 27.  She has complete faith in Jesus.

We all want what we want, when we want it.  Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way.  But we know that all things work for our good, if we love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

Now think about this for just a minute.  God could have healed Lazarus from where he was staying and this would have been the end of this story, but this is not what happened.  Lazarus was allowed to die in order to bring God glory when Jesus raised Him from the dead.

Could Jesus have healed him prior to his death? Absolutely, but which way brought more glory to God?

Now what I really want to talk about here is those who are never satisfied.  Now up in verse 5 we are told that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus.  So we know that he was heartbroken over Lazarus’ death and the fact that his sisters were grieving and mourning his loss.  Verse 35 tells us Jesus wept.  We know he felt compassion for his friends that he dearly loved.  But Jesus had to do what He did to bring glory to His Father through the Son.

So, as we apply this to our lives, I have one question for you.  What are you praying for?  Are you praying for God to get the glory?  Or, are you just praying for God to give you what you want?  I have learned that if I trust in God, He will work things out for my good and His glory.  I have learned that I have nothing to worry about.

I have also learned that there will always be those out there who will never believe and never be satisfied.  They will be angry at God.  They will not trust Him, yet want him to work miracles in their lives.  Well, that’s not how it works folks.  In verse 25, Jesus explains to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in him will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in Him will never die.

We are never told that we will not have problems in this life.  We are simply told that by believing in our Lord, Jesus Christ and developing a close relationship with Him, that those problems will not be insurmountable.  John 16:33 tells us that in this world we will have trouble but that we should not worry because Jesus has overcome the world.

So again, I ask you to examine your prayer life.  First of all, do you have one?  When was the last time you got on your knees and had a heart to heart talk with your Savior?  If you have been praying and feel that you are not getting the answer that you want, then I ask you to consider a few things.  First and foremost, do you truly believe?   Do you have faith that God will come through?  Secondly, do you understand that whatever God does for his children, He does what is best for them?  There have been times in my life when I have come through and actually thanked God for the unanswered prayers.  I have learned to also be thankful when the answer is “no” or “not yet”.  God’s timing is perfect.   Thirdly, are you giving Him the glory when he does something good in your life or complaining that He is not doing enough or not doing it fast enough?

Like a good parent, God loves us and knows what is best for us  Talk to God, spend time with Him and know that He loves you and wants what is best for you.  When we understand this, it makes our life much easier.

Have a great day!