“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 God’s Son may be glorified through it”.
John 11 v 1-3-4
Do you notice the words that the sisters use to refer to Lazarus? “The one you love is sick”. How many of us would expect to be spoken of in such an endearing way? This demonstrates that after encountering Jesus the sisters had complete confidence in his love and care for them and their family. What a marvellous way to approach Jesus with such assurance of his concern for us. Not feeling like we need to remind him of our love for him but rather resting in his love for us. Jesus is in his very nature love and everything he does flows from that foundation. His response to us is motivated not by our efforts or good works, it is not based on our performance or good behaviour, it is founded upon his grace and mercy towards us as children of God. Mary and Martha have an expectation of Jesus, after encountering his love in person, they believe that his devotion towards their brother will trigger a response and commitment to help him in his hour of need. Jesus responds instantly with a faith declaration. “This sickness will not end in death.” He speaks out what He believes will come to pass and more than this he adds another dimension to the situation, “It is for God’s glory.”
When God looks at the very same thing that you are looking at today, He rarely comes to the same conclusion that you do.
His view is different. He is God, and you are not. He declares this is: “Not unto death”. Written into this statement from Jesus is a promise of deliverance from the very start. We get wrapped up in the “seriousness” of our situation, we see the obstacles and the improbability, we consider the facts and the evidence that is being presented to us. We look with our carnal eyes, but we are called to “walk by faith and not by sight.” When Jesus is looking at it, He sees it so differently. He sees release and restoration even when we do not. It may seem like a disaster to us, but He is saying NO, I have got this…… I am going to show you the power and the glory of God here. He is always setting you up for greater glory. Yet poor Mary and Martha cannot receive a text to let them know about Jesus’ response. They do not receive the comfort from Jesus’ words. Instead they wait, hour by hour which turns into day and night and day again and still it would appear that Jesus is not going to make the trip. Where is the love in this? Why would he put his friends through this kind of torment? What kind of friend is he if he does not rush to their side - and yet his words are clear and full of certainty.
That is why we need to remember the end of this verse…”so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” When we are facing delay we can begin to question and doubt, we can ask why and wonder if God has forgotten us. “If only I only knew when I would see the breakthrough… then I would be able to hold on.” I have said that many times. Although it is not for us to know the times, we can make sense of why we have to wait: it is about the glory of Jesus being revealed in and through our lives. His work will manifest in a way in which no one will be able to doubt that He was behind it.
Do not believe the lie that Jesus has forgotten you today…hold on to the promise that he is setting you up to move into greater levels of anointing as He reveals his glory though you.
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020