I recently heard a message about Lazarus, that made me stop and think about that story in the bible in a whole new way. The book of John records in chapter 11, “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 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 God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea’. Jesus waited two more days before departing to Bethany, and because of this delay, Jesus did not arrive in time to heal him, and Lazarus died. Why did He do this? Why didn’t He immediately leave and heal Lazarus?

You can imagine that Mary and Martha were overcome with grief and confusion. Why hadn’t their Lord come to their aid? Why did He allow Lazarus to remain sick and die? When Jesus finally did arrive in Bethany, Lazarus had already been inside the tomb for four days. John 11:20, “When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” Mary stayed at home! I had never really noticed that part of the verse before, nor understood it’s significance. Jesus was coming to see Mary, the woman who sat at his feet and listened to his teaching. The woman who had poured perfume on His feet and wiped them with her hair. Mary stayed home!

Now I can imagine that Mary was overcome in her grief, and she was likely angry with Jesus for not coming right away. She couldn’t understand why He had allowed her brother Lazarus to die. But Jesus knew that in delaying, He would show His power in an even greater way. He would demonstrate to everyone as He commanded Lazarus to come forth from the tomb, that He has the power over life and death! And in allowing a few days of grief and confusion to befall Mary and Martha, God’s power and mercy would shine even brighter against the black backdrop of death. So, Mary in her grief, didn’t walk out to meet her Lord…how many times have we found ourselves in that same place?

We’ve all been there before. Our pain and disappointment are more than we can bare. We don’t understand why God is allowing these things to happen. Where is God? Why isn’t He here to help me? Why is He allowing this to happen? Why didn’t He come when I called upon Him? Interestingly enough, I am writing this after a particularly difficult couple of weeks. Even though things have been difficult for me of late, I didn’t lose focus. I kept my eyes on Jesus. But if I am honest, as I always try to be when I am writing to you, that has not always been the case. There have been times I have felt great despair and times I have been overwhelmed; times I have not kept my eyes on Christ…times like Mary, when the Lord tried to reach out to me, I refused to go out and meet him.

The Lord knows your pain. He knows your frustrations, your fears, and your struggles. He loves you, just as He loved Lazarus! You may not understand the timing or be able to see the “big picture”, but you can rest in the knowledge that the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords does. Jesus loves you and has the very best in mind for you. The Lord is coming down the road to greet you. He is coming to bring you His comfort. Are you going to meet him on the road? Or are you going to allow your grief and disappointment to keep you in the house?