Scripture
Our prayer verse for today comes from John 11:5-6, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was
Background & Application
The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is amazing. There is so much going on, so many people involved, and so much emotion, yet Jesus never loses His focus, which He said was on glorifying His Father and Himself. But to accomplish that, He had to act very differently from how those around Him, Those that He loved, wanted Him to act. His disciples reminded Him of the stoning that could be awaiting Him in Judea. Thomas was resigned to the fact that they would all go there and be killed. and of course, Mary and Martha speak for all of us when they both tell Jesus separately, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” They knew very well what could have happened, but they struggled with what might yet still happen. Four days had passed and all seemed hopeless. people were crying, some were blaming Jesus, and Lazarus was decomposing. But Jesus says, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” He will be glorified, whether He comes right away or stays two more days. but when we believe, we are granted entrance into His world of glory, beyond our expectations. We see things as He sees them, even through our tears.
Charge
For our prayers today, let’s ask God to do things His way and in His timing. Pray that each of us will not blame God or each other for their past problems, but will seek Him to roll away the stone and remove their grave clothes that bind them to their hurts. Ask God to cause us to weep over our sin that deserves death, and thank Him for His grace that gives us life.
