It Is For the Glory of God
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha...So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When He heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that the Son may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea...Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him…
On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days…
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” John 11:1-12
When He heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that the Son may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus...He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea...Lazarus is dead, and for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him…
On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days…
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” John 11:1-12
“This sickness will not end in death. No it is for God’s glory so that the Son may be glorified through it.” The ways of God are beyond human comprehension. I believe the most challenging thing for us as humans is to hang in until we see the full manifestation of what God had in mind all along. When Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, He did not rush there to heal him; instead, he delayed until Lazarus had died and been buried for four days.
Jesus knew all along that Lazarus was going to end up in the grave but He was unperturbed because He also knew that Lazarus would rise again. Things were going to get worse but it would get better and a greater glory would come to God. The undaunting faith of Martha was significant: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask for.” Martha had no doubt that with God all things are possible. Even the dead could rise again!
There are times when it seems as if God is completely silent. Things actually go from bad to worse. It seems as if God has allowed death to take place when He could actually have intervened earlier! The truth is, when God allows things to go from bad to worse or “from sickness to death, He might have a resurrection surprise in store for us. Jesus assured Martha: “Your brother will rise again.”
Can I encourage you not to give up because things have moved from “sickness to death?”
Even now, believe that God can “give you whatever you ask for.” It could well be that God has allowed you to encounter this difficult situation for His glory so that Jesus may be glorified through it. The greater the testimony, the greater the glory that comes to God.
The question is: Are you and I willing to be a Lazarus for God’s glory?
Jesus knew all along that Lazarus was going to end up in the grave but He was unperturbed because He also knew that Lazarus would rise again. Things were going to get worse but it would get better and a greater glory would come to God. The undaunting faith of Martha was significant: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask for.” Martha had no doubt that with God all things are possible. Even the dead could rise again!
There are times when it seems as if God is completely silent. Things actually go from bad to worse. It seems as if God has allowed death to take place when He could actually have intervened earlier! The truth is, when God allows things to go from bad to worse or “from sickness to death, He might have a resurrection surprise in store for us. Jesus assured Martha: “Your brother will rise again.”
Can I encourage you not to give up because things have moved from “sickness to death?”
Even now, believe that God can “give you whatever you ask for.” It could well be that God has allowed you to encounter this difficult situation for His glory so that Jesus may be glorified through it. The greater the testimony, the greater the glory that comes to God.
The question is: Are you and I willing to be a Lazarus for God’s glory?
Prayer: Lord, I know things have gotten from bad to worse; but I also know that even now, you can give me whatever I ask for. I am believing you for a turnaround that will bring glory to you and my heavenly Father. Amen.