DAY 11 // John 11:21-22, 39-40 // What Are you Believing For? // Kimy Brennan

‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’

‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’”
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Have you ever been told something from God that you were waiting to see come to pass?

Have you ever been in a place of anticipation while your doubt was creeping in?

I wonder how Mary & Martha must have felt in the moments between Lazarus dying and Jesus coming to visit them. We see Martha speak plainly to Jesus telling him, “If you had been here earlier, my brother would still be alive. But I still trust you.”

I wonder how hard it was for her to utter the words, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Personally, I have not always had the most hope in the waiting seasons of my life. There have been times when I let my doubt & cynicism rule my heart and mind. Instead of fully trusting God and His plan, I’ve found myself frustrated or upset that God hasn’t done exactly what I wanted when I wanted it. I feel cynicism rising up to tell me that I’m crazy for thinking that God would come through in my waiting.

Have you ever felt like that before?

Let’s fast forward a few verses after this exchange between Martha & Jesus. Jesus weeps, which is a profoundly important verse for us to read. He felt our pain and He understands it. Being deeply moved in this pain, He tells the people to roll the stone away.
Here is where we find a slightly different conversation taking place between Martha & Jesus.

Martha responds with the facts to Jesus. She tells him what she knows of the reality that will happen when the stone is rolled away. While I can’t say what Martha’s heart’s position was at this moment, I can definitely relate. Sometimes when Jesus speaks something to me that doesn’t seem possible, I speak the facts of what I know right back to Him. He’s not phased. He knows us, and He knows how little we can see.

Did you know that hamsters can only see a few inches in front of their own nose? It’s true! I used to have hamsters as pets when I was a kid. Hamsters are very active; they love to run! I would put them either in their hamster ball or on my bed when I had the chance to play with them. The scariest thing was when my hamster would get close to the edge of the bed because they didn’t know they would fall off until it was too late. Their foresight was terrible, but they trusted me to keep them safe from falling.

Isn’t that like our relationship with God? In fact, that speaks to the same situation we find Martha in. She can’t see the future, but she’s trying to trust Jesus. Look at Jesus’ response in verse 40. He asks Martha to remember that He said she’ll see the glory of God if she believes!

What are you believing for? How will you actively trust God in your waiting?

Church, today we have the special opportunity to trust God. One day, you’ll look back on this time with either one of two responses:

I learned so much & stretched my faith from trusting You, God. It was the best way I spent my waiting season.

Or, I wish I could’ve trusted God more. I would be at a better place in my relationship with Him if I had.

What will you choose today? Praying you will choose to have faith & see the glory of God!

Prayer Focus: Pray for our CITY OF PRAISE in INDONESIA and our church and school there