PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: John 11:1-10
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)
Jesus says that Lazarus’s sickness is meant to bring glory to God.
I wonder if this could be said of all sickness, suffering and struggle?
According to Jesus, God’s glory is connected to how he will be glorified.
Jesus will do something for Lazarus that will make him and God look good.
Maybe this is how God gets glory through all hard times and struggles.
It is through Jesus followers who do something good, that God is honoured.
It would be better if bad things didn’t happen… but God didn’t cause these.
God allows us to experience the consequences of our sin, but God also helps.
Through Jesus, and Jesus-like people, God overcomes the bad with good.
In a disaster or tragedy, people rally together to help and serve.
Goodness triumphs over badness, and people experience hope and healing.
“Do not be overcome by (COVID), but overcome (COVID) with good.” (Romans 12:21)
This has me thinking of the pandemic, and how this can be for God’s glory?
Maybe if Jesus followers shine with goodness through it, God is glorified!
PRAYER
Lord, help me not to be overcome by sickness or suffering, but to do what I can to overcome it with good… for your glory!
Jesus says to his disciples: “This sickness will not end in death.” We all fear death – it is the unknown. Jesus is trying to help his disciples to understand that he is the one that overcomes death – that death does not have the last word. Back in the garden, our world was not sick. The Lord came daily to walk with Adam and Eve – there was no sickness. But then through our own disobedience of not observing the very challenge that tested our obedience to trust God – the sickness of sin came in and contaminated us. Death is the result – but the sickness of sin need not lead to eternal death – because Jesus has taken the sickness away and cured us from eternal death. Thank you Lord Jesus! Help me not to fear death!
Time.
God’s time.
Time to do God’s work while it is light – in His time and not mine. Jesus was not driven by others to do what needed to be done. All in His time. And yet with Lazarus, Jesus went to Jerusalem in His time also knowing what difficulties lay before Him. We too will face trials but with our trust in Him we too will overcome for the joy of the Lord God is our strength.
1 O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
2 Under the shadow of your throne
your saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is your arm alone,
and our defense is sure.