How He Loves you

This devotional is Part 3 of a series focusing on John 11:1-44.

Why does God delay when we need him the most, and then even allow the worst to happen in our lives?

I think part of the reason is just as Jesus plainly said in this account of Lazarus’ sickness and death: it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified…and…so that you may believe. Jesus once said that a man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. That’s tough. Too much—even with the knowledge that Jesus healed him. But God doesn’t mince words about it; he doesn’t leave space for us to think otherwise. 

What are we left with, then? We are forced to trust the Lord on every front. We must believe. We don’t get to change our minds about his love for us—because God getting the glory is not about tyranny. If we don’t believe then his love is of no consequence. So, when situations in our lives are unfair and we’re hit with the worst of tragedies, there are two thoughts about God I encourage you to carry.

As hard as it sounds, the first is that God will use whatever we’ve been through so that we and others will see the glory of God in even greater measure than we had desired in prayer. The second thought is that even while we now understand that God will work for our good, he doesn’t expect us to pretend it doesn’t hurt. 

When Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, Martha said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. That’s raw honesty. And she could say those words to Jesus because of the relationship she had with him. In her statement, I hear measures of disappointment, accusation, confusion and all-around grief. Mary, eventually, came to Jesus and said the same thing. 

Then, look what happened. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. What I take from this is that our Lord who works through our pain to be glorified is also deeply, deeply moved by our pain. Our Lord is not aloof. Jesus wept and I believe he weeps with us still.

You are not alone in your grief, despair, or disappointment. See how he loved him, Lazarus. Today, see how he loves you.

Amen.