When the Lord Says "Watch This!"

Remaining strong and hopeful while waiting on the Lord can be so difficult –especially as your season of waiting grows long or as the situation grows hopeless.

I wonder if a friend of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus may have offered this verse to them as a word of encouragement while they waited for Jesus to show up and heal Lazarus. Someone may have said to them, ‘I know you are concerned because Lazarus is sick and even though you sent word to Jesus, he hasn’t come yet. Remember what the psalmist said –wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’

As Lazarus grew sicker and sicker, were Mary and Martha able to wait patiently for Jesus? Were they able to remain strong? Did they continue to have hope in their hearts? What happened to their hope when Lazarus died and Jesus still had not come?

I’m reminded of the end of the wedding scene in The Princess Bride when Buttercup is completely shocked and devastated because Westley did not come in time to rescue her from Prince Humperdink. It was with a deep sense of disappointment and hopelessness that she uttered, ‘he didn’t come.’

Like Princess Buttercup, Mary and Martha must have wondered why Jesus didn’t come and why He didn’t make it to Bethany “on time” to heal Lazarus and save the day. They must have wondered why Jesus was so slow. Didn’t he know what was going on and what they were going through in His absence? Didn’t He love them and their brother Lazarus? 

I find it interesting that John notes for us that “although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days” (John 11:5-6 NLT). His delay was not because He didn’t love them or want what was best for them or everyone else around them.

As the stone was sealed over the tomb, Mary and Martha must have seen their situation as finished and hopeless. As everyone knows, death is final and there was nothing else that could be done. It was over. Even Jesus couldn’t do anything for them at this point. Lazarus was dead, as was their hope. And this was all because Jesus was too slow in getting to them --at least in their understanding.

The apostle Peter was there and witnessed this entire event. I wonder if he had this in mind at all when he wrote, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness…” (2 Pet 3:9 NIV). How do we understand slowness? God not acting on our personal timeline? Or not acting according to our own finite understanding?

The Lord says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:4 NIV). His thoughts and ways are not just a little bit higher than ours. We can’t just reach a little higher or think a little deeper or concentrate a little harder and be able to wrap our minds around the Lord’s ways and thoughts, just as we can’t stretch high enough to reach into outer space or even to touch the clouds in the sky.

Mary and Martha’s plan was for Jesus to come before Lazarus died and for Jesus to restore Lazarus to health. While this would have been a good, miraculous event, it was nothing compared to what Jesus did for them. He didn’t just restore health to a living person. He brought a dead, rotting, stinking corpse back to life. While healing Lazarus from his illness would have been nice, raising him from the dead after four days was a glorious, spectacular, incomprehensible miracle that no one expected --a miracle that could only be performed by the One who “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20 NIV).

Raising Lazarus from the dead was far beyond what Mary and Martha could have asked or imagined, and they would have missed it if Jesus had succumbed to their plans, their requests, and their timeline. Jesus waited until the situation seemed completely and utterly hopeless before He stepped in and said “Watch this!”

So again, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Ps 27:14 NIV) and wait for God to step into your hopeless situation and say “watch this!”

Through the Storm

I don’t like storms, and I really don’t like to drive in them. I do not want to drive through a torrential downpour or get beat up by hail stones or attempt to keep the car on the road and make it to shelter during a threatening tornado. If I had to guess, I’d say that there are not many people who do like to be out in this type of weather. It’s scary. Probably most of us prefer the safety of solid protection. Strong, reliable protection. Tested protection. Something we know is going to outlast the storm.

During a recent worship service, I was struck by one particular phrase in the chorus of “Cornerstone,” an updated version of the old hymn, “The Solid Rock.”[1] The song speaks about putting our hope in Christ alone and building our lives with Him as our foundation. The chorus is:

Christ alone, Cornerstone,

Weak made strong in the Savior’s love

Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.[2]

Jesus is Lord through the storm. He is the firm, unmoving anchor that we can put our hope in, even during the storms of life. What really struck me recently about this is that if we don’t go through any storms in life (whether they be spiritual, emotional, financial, or anything else that threatens to shake us up), how can we sing with conviction that Jesus is Lord through the storm?

If I build a house on the beach and try to guarantee that it will withstand hurricane-force winds, how will anyone believe me unless that house has been through a storm and has stood firm? If I claim to be anchored to Jesus and stand firm on Him as my foundation, how will anyone believe me unless I have been through the storm and lived to tell about it?

I have been through a number of different storms. Some of them were only a little summer rainstorm, but others involved hurricane-force winds. Some of them threatened to knock me loose from my foundation. But they didn’t. Every time I hit bottom, the Lord speaks to me in some way –through a friend, through a Scripture passage, through a sermon, through a song –and tells me that He is still here. He is still with me. A foundation built on Christ can withstand the storms.

“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.’” (Is 28:16 NLT)

Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.

---

[1] Text by Edward Mote; Music by William B. Bradbury

[2] Edward Mote, Eric Liljero, Jonas Myrin, Reuben Morgan; CCLI Song #6158927

The Glory of God

I’ve been slowly making my way through the gospel of John, and this week, I came to chapter 11. John 11 is likely a familiar chapter if you grew up going to Sunday School. You might remember that John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept,” so you might also remember that John 11 is about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. 

Before I read this familiar chapter again, I wondered what practical application could possibly be found in this chapter other than an assurance that Jesus has power over life and death or that we will rise "at the last day" (vs 24). Let's be real -- no one expects to visit a cemetery four days after a loved one was buried and expects to see them walking out of the grave. 

As I read through John chapter 11 this time, I was struck by the very similar comments directed at Jesus by Martha, Mary, and the crowd.

• Martha said: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (vs 21-22).
• Mary said: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (vs 32).
• The crowd asked: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (vs 37). 

Their statements all communicate a belief that:

• Jesus was not there. He had abandoned them in their time of need.
• Jesus had the power to do something, but for some reason He refused and now it is too late.
• The situation was all Jesus’ fault. He could have prevented it if He wanted to.
• They were confused as to why Jesus didn’t use the miraculous power they had seen Him use in the past.

Martha communicates a tiny spark of hope when she says, “but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (vs 22). I think she wants to believe this, but she is struggling to do so because when Jesus asks them to move the gravestone away, she says, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days” (vs 39). In the span of a few verses, it seems that she decided that it was too late --even for Jesus.

One study Bible note says that “In Jewish tradition, the tomb was typically closed permanently on the fourth day –after three days of mourning. According to rabbinic tradition, a three-day period assured the person was actually dead.”[1] Martha’s warning is essentially telling Jesus, ‘This is an impossible situation. I believe that you could have done something earlier, but now it is way too late. Even for you.’

Jesus’ response to her was: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (vs 40).

Mary and Martha wanted (and expected) Jesus to heal Lazarus while he was still alive. That would have been a great miracle and a demonstration of Jesus’ love for them as well as His power over sickness and physical health.

But He didn’t do what they expected. He did something even greater. He brought Lazarus back to life after he was dead, the grave had been sealed, and he was beginning to decompose. By delaying action and not meeting their expectations, Jesus performed an even greater miracle than what they expected and they saw the glory of God through their pain.

Do you have anything in your life that is seemingly dead and buried in the tomb that makes you want say, like Mary and Martha, to Jesus: “You weren’t here. You could have prevented this if you wanted to, but now it’s too late. This is all your fault”? I know I do.

As some of you may know, after being called into ministry, trained for ministry at seminary, serving in ministry for several years, and being ordained into ministry, that all ceased last fall when we moved to Colorado. I expected Jesus to open a door here so I could continue in worship ministry, just like Mary and Martha expected Jesus to come heal their brother.

But He hasn’t come, and He hasn’t open any doors. After a year, that calling into vocational ministry seems to be buried in the grave and I’m left staring at a sealed gravestone, telling Jesus ‘it’s impossible even for you now –it’s been so much time now that it is beginning to decompose and stink.’

I wish this blog was a story of victory that is on the other side of Jesus' pronouncement of “Lazarus, come out! [And] the dead man came out…” (vs 43-44). I wish I could testify to a story of dreams and callings brought back from the impossible and from the dead. But I’m not there yet. I’m still standing in front of the grave looking at the sealed stone. You may still be there too.

However, those of us who are still standing in front of the grave prior to a miracle can hold on to Jesus' words: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Maybe Jesus is going to do something even greater that will bring God even more glory than what any of us have planned or expected. Let’s hold on to faith in Jesus and to the hope and anticipation of seeing the glory of God in a way we could never imagine (Eph 3:20).

---

[1] Kent Dobson, “Study Notes on John 11:17,” NIV First Century Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 1360.

A Blessing from Psalm 20

It is the season of the year for gifts and for blessings. Psalm 20 contains a beautiful blessing written by David. The heading in The Voice translation for this psalm says it is "for the worship leader." It seems to me that this blessing should be sung, and it should be shared and poured out over others.

So whether everything is going as planned for you this Christmas season or if you are struggling and feel as if you're coming to the end of your rope, please listen and be blessed by these words that I adapted, which were originally written by David.

"A Blessing from Psalm 20"

May the Eternal One come to rescue you
When you desperately cling to the end of your rope
May the name of the Lord be your shelter
May He give you help and hope

May He grant you the dreams and the plans of your heart
May He see you through to the end
Then we will shout and praise the great name of our God
For all praises belong to Him

May He lavish you with His unfailing love
May He always answer your plea
May you trust in the name of the Lord our God
And may He give you victory