Living 4 Him

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Mary and her sister Martha are caught in a web of worry.  Their brother, Lazarus, is deathly ill.  They send for Jesus, but he will not arrive for two days.  Lazarus succumbs to his illness and dies.  The sisters mourn the loss of their brother and he is placed in a tomb. But Jesus had other plans . . . .

The story of Lazarus rising from the dead as described in John 11 is a well-known act of the ultimate healing.  Often times it is used as scripture teaching before Easter.  Pastors, Bible teachers and scholars have scrutinized Jesus’ actions in verses 5-7, which describe how Jesus responded after hearing the news that Lazarus was sick.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,  and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” John 11:5-7 (NIV)

Jesus loved them, but waited to go to them?  Jesus was taking orders from God, who asked him to wait.  But if he loved them so much why did they need to wait in agony?  A few months ago while reading this passage again, I gained a new understanding of how Jesus was loving them.  He loved them so much that he invited them to be part of his miracle. 

Upon his arrival, Martha speaks these words to Jesus:

 “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.” John 11:21-22(NIV)

Martha displays her steady faith in God; a willingness to accept whatever God’s hand gives. She is given the miracle of her brother rising from the dead.  Faith in God’s abilities intersected with God’s timing produces miracles.

Miracles happen around us everyday when our eyes of faith are opened to God’s goodness.

The subtle miracle of a flower blooming.

The skillful miracle of driving to work safely.

The powerful miracle of rainbows, ocean waves and mountain waterfalls.

The everyday miracle of food appearing at each meal.

Even in the pain of grief and loss, God loves us so much that his comfort can become our miracle.

Every miracle God produces looks different, but his purposes are always achieved.  To trust and accept whatever God’s hand gives opens up miracles of healing, restoration and new pathways of understanding. 

I remember the miracle that happened when the very first chick from the very first brood of eggs I hatched as a teacher occurred.  Another teacher, with more experience in hatching eggs than me, noticed that the chick’s legs were splayed, meaning the legs did not bend properly to allow the chick to walk.  Attention to the legs was needed soon to help the legs work correctly.  So, chick therapy began. 

Holding the legs steady under the chick for several minutes while sitting in my hand.

Putting the chick in a narrow teacup for a few minutes to force the legs underneath the chick. 

Letting the chick run on carpet also worked to strengthen the legs.  And all of these things had to happen every hour (even a few times through the night) to ensure the legs would strengthen properly. 

My daughter happily helped as I took the chick (named Chicken Little by my class) back and forth from home to school.  And in the midst of therapy, I had to trust; I had to stay faithful to my tasks and believe the work I couldn’t see was being done.

A 3-day weekend helped Chicken Little fully gain the use of its legs and in a week, Chicken Little was racing around with the other chicks and impressing all of us!

Often times, God uses situations that seem impossible to invite us to something bigger.  In helping Chicken Little, I discovered I trust in God’s knowledge of what the chick needed, leading me to the answers I needed. I learned how to connect with future chicks since my first one went through such a battle.  I was enabled to help other chicks that faced a crisis.   

Trust is a powerful force.  When we trust God, our path intertwines with God’s will and together we orchestrate the best possible outcome.  When we trust God, our love for him deepens into a peace that transcends circumstance.  Trust is not always our first inclination, but God wants it to be.  He has miracles to do through us if we will trust him.

Reaching in (allowing God’s word to work in your soul):  Read the account of Lazarus and his sisters in John 11:1-44 and absorb the details of this miracle.

Reaching out (taking God’s word into the world):  Let these words from David in Psalm 52:8 become your mantra as you seek to trust God each day. “I trust God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.”