Day 9 – Martha –
Read It: John 11:17-44
Live It:
In today’s story, we find Martha grieving her brother Lazarus’ death when Jesus arrives. She tells Jesus that if only he had been there Lazarus would still be alive. This sounds like a criticism, but it’s not. Even in her mourning, Martha acknowledges her belief in Jesus as the Messiah and expresses her faith in His power and her trust in His will. While she doesn’t directly ask Jesus to bring her brother back, she declares her belief that He can–and He does.
So why aren’t all our prayers answered this way? In this case, Lazarus was raised from the dead to prove to all those watching that Jesus was the Messiah and all glory belongs to God. We have to trust that our prayers today are answered according to God’s will and purposes, which we may not understand this side of heaven.
Today, let us submit ourselves to God’s plans; we can walk with hope and confidence knowing “that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes for them.” (Romans 8:28 NLT).
Kathie