God is The Reason I Stand Still and Wait

Fact: If it had not been for the Lord on our side I don’t know where we would have been. We can trust God’s timing even when we would prefer for everything to happen right now.

Reality: So many times we become impatient waiting for God to answer our prayers. It’s hard waiting on God even when it appears to be too late. IF Jesus could just move a little quicker wouldn’t we all be happy every time we pray. From the first day of praying ~ to the first month ~ four months later ~six years later ….waiting can be undeniably daunting for us even as believers. 

Prayer is a like going on a journey with God. You’ve got to trust His guidance, intersections, timing and believe with all your heart that He’s going to get you to your destination on His time. 

In John 11 we can gain insight into understanding God’s timing and purpose. 

Jesus upon hearing the news that his ‘friend’ Lazarus was very sick …
stayed where he was for two more days.  ‭‭John‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭GNT‬‬

Incredible is all I can say…He heard. He stayed for TWO more days. Really? Wasn’t Lazarus his friend? His friend was sick …

Jesus calmly said to His disciples:

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and WAKE him up.” ‭‭

Question: Who gets me nervous? Answer: Jesus

But Lazarus was only said to be sick not dead Jesus….but then again, Jesus stayed where He was for two extra days…

Verse 14-15: “So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,”  “but for your sake I AM GLAD that I was NOT with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him.”

Pause with me for a while – let’s read over Jesus words carefully – “I am glad that I was NOT with him, so that you will believe.” 

•••• Clues and Cues: Miracles happens when every other indication say that Hope is lost. 

The victory to delayed answers is to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which God will receive glory.

Is Jesus about to perform a miracle into your dead situation? Does it seems like you have been praying forever? 

Reason: It will bring glory to God…

Verse 17: “When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before.”  

•••• Just me talking to Jesus: 

“If you came as soon as I called – the situation wasn’t going to be dead…..it was only a sick situation back then. Jesus, it’s been a long time since I’ve been praying. Couldn’t you not come sooner or even send your word? If you were on time – everyone would be happy and there would not have been a death.”

Verses 21-22: “Martha said to Jesus, “BUT I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”

There’s always that little flicker of HOPE when the word “BUT” is included in a sentence. But is used to indicate the impossiblity of anything other than what is being stated. 

Regardless of Lazarus being dead  – Martha knew that Jesus had the final word. 

Verse 23: ” Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.” 

So many situations appear to be dead while we are waiting for Jesus to come. Remember: This has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory.” 

Interestingly verse 33 touches our heart:

Verse 33: “Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved.”

Verse 35: “Jesus wept.”

I trust this brings some measure of comfort to us – Jesus cares about everything that concerns us, even when it seems that He is silent. He’s touched with our feelings of infirmities. Jesus took the sting out of death. He snatched the victory from every dead situation. 

Jesus wept not because He didn’t have Faith, but because He was full of love for those who had gathered around weeping. 

There is a Christ in every Crisis: 

1. “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered. 

Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, There will be a BAD smell, Lord. He has been buried four days!

2. Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?” 

They took the stone away. 

3. Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.” 

After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face. 

4. “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.”

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