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
Yesterday, we saw how Jesus reacted to Mary. It was a stark contrast to His reaction to Martha. Instead of going into a discussion about the resurrection and the life, He was ready to spring into action. He was moved to action by her surrender and worship.
This morning I want to focus on the words, “Where have you laid him?” With this question, Jesus was asking, “Where is the dead situation?” He was saying, “Are you willing to take me to the cause of your pain?“, “Are you willing to open up the wound again?“, “Are you willing to take me to the place you have been trying to run from for the last four days?” Remember, the sting of death was still fresh. Four days was long enough for the pain to still be intense but too long for their hope to still be alive. See, they stopped believing when Lazarus stopped breathing. Their dream was dead!
Jesus was asking, “Are you willing to take me to where you stopped believing?“, “Are you willing to open up the possibility of life in your seemingly dead situation?” When Lazarus was sick, they wanted Jesus’ involvement. When Lazarus died, I am sure they wanted Jesus to walk through the doors and raise him from the dead, like He had on two other occasions. But now that Lazarus had been dead for four long days, and they had finally accepted the fact that he was gone, Jesus was asking to allow Him access to a dead situation.
The body was already wrapped in grave clothes. The corpse was already placed in the tomb. The tomb was already closed. Rigor mortis had already begun to set in. Mary, Martha, and the family friends had already accepted the fact that Lazarus was gone. The door of possibility was already closed in their minds and their hearts, but now Jesus wanted them to OPEN it all up again. “Where have you laid him?” Can you take me there? Can you bear to OPEN the door that your heart has already closed?
Remember, there is nothing impossible with God!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Never close a door unless God tells you it is closed.
— Mary and Martha lost their hope and joy. Mary and Martha stopped believing when Lazarus stopped breathing. I don’t blame them. The situation looked beyond repair. Not only was Lazarus dead, but he had been dead for four days by the time Jesus arrived. But Jesus was ready to do something about Lazarus, even when the situation looked impossible. Many things are impossible with man, but nothing is impossible with God (Mat 19:26).
— It’s easy to say that a situation is dead or that the possibilities are gone if you look at it “in the natural.” But you must learn to look at situations from God’s perspective. There is nothing God can’t do. So even if a door seems closed to you, be ready to reopen it if God brings it up. It’s never too late for God.
— You may have given up hope a long time ago. You may have allowed your dream to die. It might not be four days for you; it might be four years or even 40 years, but that does not matter in God. If you sense God is leading you to open up the door of possibility this morning, a door you may have closed a long time ago, then it’s time to open it back up. It’s time to dream again!
2. You have to grant God access to your place of pain.
— Jesus wanted to know where they laid Lazarus’ body. After four long days, He wanted them to grant Him access to their source and place of pain. He will require the same of you.
— If they were willing to allow Him access to the dead situation, then He was willing to turn it around for them. But Jesus would not (then), and He will not (now) force Himself on us. He was ready if they were ready. He was willing if they were willing. He had the desire to do what the Father sent Him there to do, but He needed them to allow Him access to the dead situation. It’s the same with you!
— You must allow God access to the place where you stopped believing. Is it painful to even bring it up? Yes. Is it something you may not even want to think about anymore? Sure. But if this series has caused you to resurrect some dead dreams, hopes, and desires, then it is time for you to spend some time with God about them. Remember, it is never too late, and nothing is ever too hard for God!
3. To experience God’s power, you must be vulnerable.
— Mary and Martha had to be vulnerable enough to face the pain of the tomb. In our own lives, we must also be vulnerable with God. This type of surrender gives God access to the deepest recesses of our hearts! And it is there that we get to experience God in the most powerful way.
— Opening up to God about our deepest fears, pain, and disappointments may be challenging, but it is a necessary step towards healing and restoration. By surrendering our pain to Him, we create space for His power to work in our lives.
4. God can give life to any seemingly dead situation.
— The story of Lazarus teaches us that God can restore what was lost or considered dead. This applies not only to physical healing but also to dead dreams, broken relationships, and shattered hopes.
— As we grant God access to our pain and reopen the closed doors in our lives, we can experience His restoration and the resurrection of what was once considered dead.
5. Faith is a key to experiencing God’s miracles.
— Lazarus had been dead for four days. His body was stinking. Mary, Martha, and the people present had already closed the door to the possibility of God doing anything about it. Humanly speaking, they had moved on. Their hearts considered Lazarus to be “past tense.” They could not see what God wanted to do, even though Jesus was there, ready to do it.
— Faith requires your ability to see (perceive) what God already planned, even though it may seem impossible or improbable in this world. Once you see it, faith requires you to believe it. To live by faith, you must believe what God is revealing, even when it makes no sense and even when it is a human impossibility.
— Jesus had faith. Jesus could see what the Father was about to do through Him. Jesus was ready to raise Lazarus from the dead, but the sisters could not see it. They had already closed the door to their hearts. Why? Because of what they could see (the reality of the situation) and what they could feel (the pain).
In closing, I urge you to believe God, to keep your faith switch in the “ON” position, and to never close the door on God because He can perform the impossible. But you must never allow what you see (the realities and limits of this present world) and what you feel (the pain connected to the problem) to keep you from believing God. If God is bringing up stuff that has been DEAD to you for years, it is because He is about to REVIVE DEAD DREAMS in your life. But you must have the faith to believe in the impossible! Do you? God has the grace (the power); do you have the faith?
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
I am open to experiencing supernatural victory in every area of my life. I realize that I have given up on several things while I was waiting on You. I have relaxed the grip I once had on my faith. I did not have the proper patience. I lost my joy and peace while I was believing You for those things.
As You lead me, Father, I open my heart to the impossible. I know the impossible is possible for me because it is possible for you!
As I open my heart, You resurrect dead dreams, hopes, and desires. These are things that You still want to bring to pass in my life. So I get past the pain of my past, and I grant You access to the burial ground of dead possibilities in my heart.
Nothing is impossible in and with You! By Your grace, I start believing again and dreaming again!
Despite the pain of my past, 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!
