“Then Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’ ‘Your brother will rise again,’ Jesus told her.”
John 11:21-22
When We’re Not Happy with Jesus
Have you experienced hardship in your life as a believer and wondered why the Lord allowed such difficult things to happen? A few weeks ago, I had tested positive for COVID-19 and strep throat at the same time. My nurse said it was one of the worst cases of strep she had seen. It was very difficult to swallow, drink, or eat. I had no energy, and I had a constant headache. So, what do we do when we’re not happy with Jesus?
But that wasn’t all. In the meantime, my business’ building was hit by a large truck, which had caused major damage. It left me saying, “Lord, if You had intervened, all this would have not happened.”
Drawing Near in Faith
In the Scripture for today, we see how Martha is understandably upset with our Lord Jesus, but yet she still draws close to Him in faith. Her brother had died, even though she had sent word to Jesus to come and heal him while he was still alive.
But Jesus decided to delay His visit to heal Lazarus, because a greater miracle needed to happen—one that would point to His unlimited power and wisdom. Christ would raise Lazarus from the dead, so people would know and understand that Jesus was God in the flesh.
Death Has No Power
Even death has no power over us if we believe and draw near to Him. With Jesus, nothing is impossible.
The Lord allows hardships to happen to us for a good and pure purpose. Through the hardships, we may draw closer to Him in faith, just like Martha did. In this way, our faith is being refined as pure gold is refined, thus growing stronger and more pure.
As this refinement process happens, others are watching to see if we practice what we believe.
Now What?
Let us remain faithful to the Lord and witness to others with our actions. Ask Him to allow you to embody the message of truth and to live it well, especially in the midst of hardship and heartache.
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