This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.” Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
Read John 11:1-16
Let’s pick up the story of Lazarus where we left off yesterday. Jesus received word of Lazarus’ sickness and responded, “This sickness will not end in death. No, this sickness is for the glory of God. This has happened to bring glory to the Son of God.” Jesus’ declaration reveals the end of the story. But a lot would take place between that statement and the Father being glorified.
As I explained yesterday, this family was no stranger to Jesus. They had a close relationship with Him, and the Bible says that Jesus loved them. That being the case, we would expect Jesus to either rush to the house to heal him or speak a Word of healing from a distance. Either way, our expectation of Jesus, in this case, is to provide immediate healing. I would think He would want immediate relief for a family He loved. However, despite their closeness and Jesus’ obvious love for them, Jesus stayed where He was for two more days. He never spoke a word of healing, and He did not rush to their aid.
To understand Jesus’ actions, it is important to remember that He already knew (by revelation) what the outcome would be. He saw the end of the story from the beginning. Jesus’ foreknowledge afforded Him the confidence to rest in faith.
At the right time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” The disciples were apprehensive about going back because there was an attempt on Jesus’ life the last time they were there. Jesus was not afraid of danger, so He led His team back with confidence in God’s protection. As they were preparing to go back, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus is now sleeping, but I am going to wake him up.” The disciples replied, “Lord, it’s good that he is sleeping. If he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus was not talking about natural sleep. His disciples, once again, totally misunderstood Him. They were clueless. So Jesus went on to explain the situation plainly. Jesus said, “Lazarus is dead.” Whoa! What a twist! Jesus had already said that the sickness would not end in death and that He was going to wake him up. Would the reality of the present death make Jesus out to be a liar? Had Jesus missed it? Did Jesus finally make a mistake? Absolutely not! We will see, as this story unfolds, that everything He said would come to pass.
Jesus then unveiled another by-product of the situation. He said, “… for your sake I am glad I was not there. Because now you will believe in me.” Not only was God to get the glory, but this miracle would aid the disciples in their quest from doubt to belief, from fear to faith! The disciples’ heads must have been spinning. They were thinking about sleep and death, the glory of God and Lazarus, the danger in Judea, and their unbelief, and with all of this going on, Jesus said, “Let’s go!“
We will stop here today in the story.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. Bishop T. D. Jakes famously said, while making a point from this miracle, “Delay is not Denial!”
I will reference King Solomon to make this point. He said the following.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.
When you are led by the Holy Spirit, you don’t put human timelines or milestones on God. You just OPEN your heart to the revelation of the Spirit, and you believe what He reveals to you, without regard for human timelines or expectations. I am sure Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had a timeline in their heads. They sent word to Jesus and they expected Jesus to do something about it right away. After all, Lazarus was the “one” Jesus loved.
Those who impose timelines on God are setting themselves up for a letdown. God never promised to do anything ON YOUR TIMELINE. So stop putting timelines on God. Trust in His timing, know that His wisdom is better than yours, and keep reminding yourself that if you keep walking in the Spirit, everything will happen at just the right time!
— Just because something does not happen when you want it to, it does not mean it will NOT happen.
— Mary, Martha, and Lazarus all expected the sickness to be dealt with as soon as Jesus received the message. But in this case, their watch of expectation was not set to God’s clock of manifestation. They were not in sync with God’s timing. As a result, they did not get what they wanted WHEN they wanted it. In the end, God was glorified. Their breakthrough was delayed, but it was not denied.
— Jesus deliberately waited before going to help so He could demonstrate the power of God and the requirement for human faith in dead situations.
— God had a reason for delaying Jesus’ departure, and if your breakthrough is being delayed, there is a reason. God has a purpose in it.
— Don’t get frustrated when God is not moving as fast as you want Him to. Many things have to align before He can release His best. Take it from me; when God finally does it, you will understand why it took so long, and you will be glad it did. Looking back, you will see how it all happened AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME!
2. God will never go back on His Word; He will always accomplish everything He said.
— Humans can say one thing and do another. Humans can fail. Humans can flat-out lie! God is not a human. If He said it, He will perform it. If He promised it, He will make it good! (Numbers 23:19).
— Jesus had already said that the sickness would not end in death. Lazarus was dead. Therefore, the situation was not over.
— If God told you that you would come out on top, and it currently does not look like you are winning, then it is obvious that the battle is not over. It won’t be over until you win; until what God said comes to pass!
— While we are waiting on God to do what He promised in our lives, we must remember that His timing is purposeful. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, after he had been dead for four days, Jesus’ ministry hit its apex. The glory associated with the name of Jesus spread like wildfire. Looking back, people could see why Jesus waited so long. But while the situation was going on, the family was confused and frustrated. Sometimes, situations in our lives may not make sense at the moment, but God’s timing always has a purpose.
— To walk with God, you must learn to be comfortable with discomfort and to embrace a certain level of mystery. God will not tell you everything. You must be okay with the unknown. Trusting in God’s timing means accepting that we may not always understand why things happen the way they do. However, by placing our trust in God, we can face the unknown with courage and confidence, knowing that He is in control and He will do what He said He would do because He is God, and He cannot lie!
3. Foreknowledge of what is to come gives you peace in the present.
— Jesus already knew how the story was going to end. His foreknowledge gave Him peace when Lazarus died.
— While Mary and Martha were freaking out, Jesus was chilling out. Why? Because His foreknowledge of the outcome gave Him peace.
— When God reveals to you what the end of the story will be, you can maintain your peace in the middle of the story when it gets worse before it gets better!
— Once God has spoken to you about the outcome of a thing, and you believe it, never allow what you SEE to change what you BELIEVE. Things may get worse before they get better, but you must continue to believe God!
— Walking by faith and not by sight means that you are living off of God’s reality. You live your life based on the reality God presents to you in the spirit realm, in your heart, in the UNSEEN. And the UNSEEN, for you, is MORE REAL than the seen. If you truly live this way, then you will be in sync with God, but you may seem like you are out of sync with the people in this world.
— When Lazarus died, Mary and Martha were crying, they went into mourning, and they stopped believing. When their brother stopped breathing, they stopped believing. When the disciples found out that Lazarus was dead, their heads were spinning, and they did not know what was going on. But Jesus was fine. Why? Because the Father had already revealed to Jesus what was going to happen, so He had peace. When the Holy Spirit reveals to you “the end of the matter,” then no matter how bad it gets, you can have peace in the middle of any storm!
— You cannot be moved by what you see. You must only be moved by what God said!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
You love me with everlasting love, You made plans for me before the world began, and You are committed to those plans.
As I walk out my life’s purpose, I keep my eyes fixed and focused on You. I also set my watch set to Your timing.
Delay does not mean denial. You love me like You loved Lazarus. You hear my prayer like You heard the request of Mary and Martha. You know the end from the beginning, like Jesus knew the end of the matter.
You will act in Your timing in my life. Everything You do in me, for me, and through me is all done for Your glory. I am on this planet to make Your name great! I declare that I will.
I rest in Your sovereignty. No matter how hard things get, I shall not be moved by what I see. I am only moved by what You reveal to me! This is how I know, GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
