From Let Down to Lifted Up
Imagine the whirl of emotions you’d experience if, amid an emergency, you dialed 911, and the ambulance never showed up. How many times have we shouted, “Help me, Jesus!” and then felt as if He never came?
Mary and Martha experienced a crisis. They needed crucial care and urgent help. They needed it and needed it NOW!
They called for help. Whom we call depends on the crises. When my mother was ill I called an ambulance. If she had been spiritually sick, I would have called the pastor, priest, or pastoral counselor. Sometimes we don’t know whom to call. Sometimes we don’t call anyone. Mary and Martha knew exactly who they needed to call; one who healed the sick, a friend, and a confidant.
Jesus didn’t come. Imagine the ambulance driver I called to help my mother, was a good friend of mine and lived less than two miles away. Now imagine my friend never showing up – because of that my mother died.
Have you experienced the pain of calling out to God and feeling as if he never showed up? What do you do? Where do you turn when that happens?
In this situation, Jesus needed the event to unfold in its natural form. Had Jesus presented himself and healed Lazarus, the miracle of healing would have been revealed, but God wanted the people to see more than just a miracle of healing. God wanted the people to see His true power of deliverance – and not just in the physical form.
When Jesus received the news about Lazarus being sick he 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.” (John 11:4 NIV)
Here’s the question: Do you suppose God might be trying to reveal something amid your disappointments?
Trust in the Wait. The wait didn’t mean rejection—it meant the end result would be far greater than any healing Mary and Martha could imagine.
God isn’t rejecting you in the wait – He’s working to reveal something powerful!