Fill In The Blank

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21)

Martha was right: If Jesus had been there, her brother Lazarus would not have died. Martha lived with her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. When Lazarus became deathly ill, the sisters sent for Jesus to come and heal him. John’s gospel tells us something as strange as it is insightful, “When [Jesus] heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” It seems so strange that Jesus did not come immediately to heal his friend whom He loved. He had healed so many who were not his friends, people He had never even met before!

Then Jesus said something that must have puzzled His disciples: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4-6). Jesus did not go immediately to heal His friend because God had a greater plan that would bring Him greater glory. You see, by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus was dead — as dead as a doornail, as Dickens famously wrote. Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. Yet when Jesus uttered three words — “Lazarus, come out!” — the dead man walked out of his grave, alive and well (John 11:43-44). Just as our Lord had said, this sickness did not end in death and God was indeed glorified through it.

That is the primary purpose behind everything that Jesus does. You and I are so much like Martha! We often say, “Lord, if you had done this” or “Lord, if you had done that . . .” We must remember that no matter what Jesus is doing in our lives, we can be assured it is always for God’s glory and our ultimate good.

How would you fill in the blank today? “Lord, if you had _______ !” Perhaps it was something related to your job or a relationship or your finances or your health. Regardless of what it was, you must always remember that Jesus is working everything together to maximize the glory God gets in everything. Everything Jesus is doing in your life always trumps your desires, your dreams, your goals, and your preferences.

Christian, when Jesus does not meet your expectations, it is because He is planning on exceeding them! That certainly was true for Martha and Mary on that fateful day, and it is just as true for you and me today. We fill “blanks” when we are looking through the eyes of our flesh; we fill our hearts when we are looking through the eyes of our faith. You must decide which it will be each and every day.  

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!