God Speaks
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead
Verse of the Day: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NIV)
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We Respond
Reflection: The Gospel of John chapter 11 contains perhaps the best-known account of Jesus raising someone from the dead. I see Jesus’s raising of Lazarus as a sneak peek of what God was going to do in raising Jesus. In fact, it was because God the Holy Spirit was going to raise Jesus (His resurrection) that was the basis for Jesus raising Lazarus. The perfect life, sacrificial death, special burial, glorious resurrection, and current intercession of Jesus Christ are the foundation for all miracles. Jesus Himself said that this sickness was not to end in death, but it was to bring glory to God and to Jesus the Son of God. Because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He delayed going to them for two more days. Once a pastor and I were in the church kitchen just before a potluck dinner. His four-year-old daughter came in and said, “I’m hungry. Can I have a snack right now?” She was puzzled and disappointed when he said, “No, honey.” You see the bigger meal was scheduled to start in about 10 minutes. There would be more and better food than she could think of for her mere snack in just a short time. That’s why I think Jesus waited to go to Mary and Martha in their need. He knew that there would be something far better waiting if He delayed. Bringing someone back from the dead would bring Father God and Jesus more glory than a mere healing of sickness. Both Martha and Mary expressed their confidence that Jesus could have healed their brother. Martha expressed her faith in the resurrection and that Jesus was the Christ the Father had promised to send. Then Jesus proceeded to bring Lazarus, who had been in the grave four days, back to life. What joy and praise to God must have filled Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’s hearts! Many of the Jewish leaders there at the time also believed in Jesus because of this great miracle. The High Priest at that time prophesied (though he didn’t realize what it meant) that Jesus would die and be resurrected on behalf of all the children of God everywhere for all time.
Prayer: Dear gracious and loving Father God who is the ultimate source of all life, thank You for Jesus raising Lazarus. As I bring my problems to You, help me to remember to seek Your glory most of all, not just the solutions for which I’m hoping. Also, please help me to realize that any delays may be because You have something far better in mind and because You love me. What You do, how, and when You do it, is meant to enlarge and deepen my (or someone else’s) faith. I hereby reaffirm my faith in Jesus as my Messiah, in His resurrection, and in the future resurrection He has for me. Holy Spirit, please fill me with such joy and praise that I can’t help but share this good news with those around me. May I have even a small part in letting people know that Jesus died and was resurrected on behalf of all the children of God everywhere for all time. For Your glory, Lord. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will trust God with my problems no matter how dark or impossible they seem.
- I will “send for Jesus” in earnest, believing prayer.
- I will go to Him and express my faith in who He is, in the resurrection, and in whatever He chooses to do in answer to my need.
- I will rejoice and praise Him for however He answers, hopefully resulting in others coming to faith in Him as well.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.