Scripture:

John 11:1-16 and Psalm 27:14

John 11:-16

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Psalm 27:14 - "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Be of good courage, I say, and He shall strengthen your heart.”

Today's passage in John 11 presents a powerful challenge to our understanding of God's timing. Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus, is gravely ill, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, urgently plead with Jesus for help. Yet, instead of immediately rushing to their aid, Jesus delays, allowing Lazarus to succumb to the illness. This can be difficult to comprehend. Why would Jesus, the healer, allow suffering to continue?

This delay forces us to confront the limitations of our human understanding. We often want answers and solutions immediately, but God's perspective and timing are often beyond our comprehension. This passage reminds us that God's ways are not our ways, and His timing is perfect, even when it seems perplexing to us.

We've all likely experienced situations where we felt like God was not answering our prayers quickly enough. Perhaps you've prayed for a healing, a job, or a relationship, and it seemed like God was silent. How did you respond to this perceived delay? Did you grow frustrated, doubt God's love, or lose hope?

Psalm 27:14 offers a powerful reminder: "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Be of good courage, I say, and He shall strengthen your heart." This verse encourages us to:

Wait patiently: Trusting that God is working, even when we don't see or understand His plan.

Be of good courage: Maintain hope and a positive outlook, knowing that God is with us.

Receive strength from God: Rely on Him to provide the strength and perseverance we need to endure the wait.

Reflection:

Reflect on a time in your life when you felt like God was delaying. How did you respond? How can you apply the principles of Psalm 27:14 to that situation now?