A Tale of Two Sisters (Part 4)

(John 11:4-6 NIV)  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.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Before we get into the lesson this morning I want to share with you how immensely thankful I am to God.  Yesterday it was announced that the Army has selected me for Chief Warrant Officer Five (CW5).  For those of you not familiar with the military, there are very few CW5s in the Army and it is only by the grace of God that I was selected for promotion.  I am humbled, thankful, grateful, and honored.

This morning we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience VOL III – Never Give Up!”  Yesterday we learned that Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick.  The sisters were completely confident (that’s faith) that Jesus would heal Lazarus.  Remember, we are talking about a man who could speak a Word and the power of God would travel the distance between He and Lazarus in order to bring about the healing.  Once Jesus found out about the situation, Mary and Martha were sure and certain (that’s faith) that Jesus would do something about it.

You know how we are when we FIRST pray for something; we have fearless confidence at that moment, but if we are not careful we can allow that confidence to dissipate with the passing of time or the worsening of our situation.   Most of the time there is a space between our prayer and the manifestation of the power of God and remaining strong in that space is what this series is all about.  Standing strong in the space between the promise and the performance is critical, because how we wait can impact how long we wait!

So there they were… the two sisters had sent word to Jesus and they were completely confident, for a while.  I can see them going up to their brother as he lay sick and saying, “Don’t worry Lazarus, we have sent word to Jesus.  You know Jesus loves you.  Once Jesus finds out about you He will be on His way.  You know how He has healed so many people; of course He will heal you.  So relax baby, you breakthrough is coming.”  The problem is that they did not know Jesus decided to stay where He was for two more days.  Although He knew what He was doing, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus didn’t.  Mary and Martha had a picture of what they wanted God to do.  They knew what they wanted and how they wanted it.  But what happens when God’s method of bringing us the blessing does not line up with what we expect Him to do?  When things don’t happen how we expected and when we expected, will we give up, cave in, quit, and turn our faith switch to the “OFF” position?  Here’s the big question: will you stop believing when the time expires on our image of what God is supposed to do?  Will you throw in the towel if He does not work fast enough for you?  We will pick it up from here on Monday.

So what does this mean to you today?  Two things:

1.  God’s ways are above your ways:  He knows what He is doing and He knows how He is doing it, but oftentimes you already have an image of what you want and if God doesn’t show up in accordance with that vision you will have to resist the pressure to give up hope.

2.  God loves you and He wants the best for you:  Jesus did not want to intentionally hurt this family.  He loved them and He wanted to bless them, but He did what He did for a reason.  Faith is standing on God’s promises, but even when you don’t know what or how, you must still trust God!  Faith says, “I believe this is going to happen.”  Trust says, “Even if it does not happen this way, or even if it does not happen at all, I still trust God.  He has a plan for me and it is GOOD!”

Closing Confession:  Father, I thank You for moving in my life, I thank You for honoring my prayers, and I thank You for giving me revelation of what You will do.  Now, even on those occasions when I do not know what You are doing and I am not sure of how You will do it, I declare that I will operate by faith and in trust.  I trust You even when I cannot trace You.  I trust You, Your character, Your nature, and Your love.  I know You plans for my life good and I fully accept what You want to do in, with, and through me.  Use me today for Your glory!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

This is Today’s Word!  Apply it and Prosper!