Are you like me and wondering why God is not helping when you need Him most? I’m on my knees praying, and sometimes begging, and sometimes things even get worse. Why? Maybe it is because God loves you and there is an unforeseen reason you and I don’t see. Maybe there is a deeper lesson to learn.
Going through some recent challenges, my friend and pastor, Vince, pointed this passage out that I have read before, but I missed the true message, did you? Read it and see if you get it or miss it like I did.
John 11:4-7 4 When he heard this, Jesus 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.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
Look at what it says! “Now Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was for two more days.” Yikes! That does not sound like love. In fact, on the surface it seems like just the opposite. If you had friends that you loved who were in urgent need, would you go them or wait because you loved them?
Wow. We have to think deeply on this. Jesus knew what he was doing. He did love them. He knew what was happening. He waited because he loved them. That is what it says.
Think about it, now the story of Lazarus rising from the dead has been told and inspiring people for generations. It was used for God’s glory and the bigger picture. The story would not be as powerful if Jesus ran right then. Though it seems cold, it was done intentionally for a bigger reason.
Sometimes there is a person in our life that we don’t help because we love them. Maybe someone with an addiction that is truly not ready to make a change and the help they are looking for will only enable them to continue on their current path. We don’t give them what they ask for because we love them.
I had to step back in my situation and hand it over to God and pray that I learned what I needed to learn and trusted Him. In fact, unintended breakthroughs came to me because I was taken so low. Lessons were learned that I would not have learned if Jesus came to the rescue sooner. Maybe God was waiting because he loves you.
Source; https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11&version=NIV
Thank you, God, for Grace, Truth, Love and Laughter,
Darren
(Reminder, this is just a journal of my mistakes, experience and thoughts along my journey to having a closer relationship to God. I do not claim to be an authority on the subject. If you want to know The Way, read The Bible. Find a Bible based church and get connected with other believers in your area.)
What church do I attend? Verve Church in Las Vegas http://vivalaverve.org
P.S. Thank you especially for grace.
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Search for yourself: https://www.biblegateway.com
Thanks, Darren, I needed to hear this this morning.