Week 33 - August 11-17, 2024: When God Makes You Wait

This week’s daily readings:

August 11-17, 2024

This week’s devotional:

When God Makes You Wait

by Sue Hersey

Scripture:

But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. 

— John 11:4-6 (NLT) 

Reflection:

Some things are just worth waiting for, although you may not know it at the time. Delays might seem agonizing to us, but later we realize our waiting has paid off. I remember as a child what a hard time I had just waiting for Christmas to come! Several of my favorite things to eat are much improved when they’re left to sit for a while after cooking – definitely worth the wait. There were times in my life when I thought I’d met the man of my dreams, or wanted to land a certain job, or buy a certain house. When those dreams didn’t come true, despite my prayers, I was sorely disappointed. After a while, I came to know it was for the best because something better came along. Of course, none of these things are life and death situations, and it would be a stretch to imply a connection between them and the glory of God. 

But what about the Bible passage, above? Maybe you can relate to Martha and Mary’s concern over their brother’s sickness. I imagine most of us have been through something similar, when a loved one becomes deathly ill. We’re unsure what the outcome will be, and so we pray to God for healing and relief from worry. If our faith in Jesus is strong, we have to believe it’s within his power to heal the person and bring about a miracle. So, why didn’t Jesus come and do his thing this time?

Like so many mysteries involving Jesus, the answer is most likely because he is God and we are not! This is a simple truth backed up by Scripture. Isaiah 55:8 informs us that God’s thoughts are nothing like our thoughts and his ways are far beyond anything we could imagine. And Paul writes in Romans 11:33, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” 

In this story, Martha and Mary had sent a message to Jesus informing him that Lazarus was sick (John 11:3). No doubt, they were hoping and praying that Jesus would arrive in time to cure whatever ailed him. Jesus had cured others before, and they had faith he would do it again. Instead, Lazarus died and was buried. It must have been agonizing knowing that their brother might have lived. I’m sure they wondered why their prayers weren’t answered. Even Jesus’ closest disciples were mystified that he delayed the visit and didn’t understand why.

However, how much greater a miracle this turned out to be! He didn’t just cure the sickness. He called the dead man out of his tomb, bringing far more glory to God and himself. How much more evident was it that God was at work in Jesus when he raised Lazarus from the dead? How many more people would come to believe in Jesus’ power and his love? As believers, we need to stop assuming we know what God can and will do and just allow him to answer our requests in his own way and in his own time.

Prayer: 

Almighty God, we are reminded here that you possess wisdom and knowledge far beyond what we can imagine. Forgive us when we forget! Keep us from assuming we know the answers to our problems, and please humble us and assure us when we do. Help us to remember that you already have things worked out and we should just rely on you at all times. To do otherwise might deny you your glory! Save us from that, we pray, in Jesus’ glorious name. Amen