Lazarus

Even Now

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” John 11:21-22 ESV

The Bible plainly tells us that Jesus loved Martha, and maybe one of the things Jesus loved so much about her was her outspoken way of saying everything that was in her heart. Whether she was complaining about her sister, inviting Jesus into her home, or sending for him in her time of need, Martha was always direct. I have so often heard of her failures and preoccupation with the duties of the pots and pans, yet there was also in her a unique ability to grow because she held nothing back.

In our own daily dealings with Jesus, it is often easier to pray in our religious way and do our religious duty, than to really tell God what is on our mind. So often we fail to grow in our faith because we are hiding behind what we feel is acceptable and we deny Jesus the chance to enter the conversation. But even now, if in complete honesty, we tell Him all our heart He can still do far more than we could ever imagine!

God is Listening!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, 
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. John 11:41 NIV

Notice how Jesus teaches us to pray, by praying, and His prayer begins by publicly thanking the Father that He was listening. “Listening to what?” we might ask. The answer must be, that Jesus had already taken time privately to pray and learn exactly what was the Father’s will about Lazarus.

Jesus reminds us that no book, no class, or sermon can replace our own private hour of prayer. That is the only place that we can find the peace and confidence to act or speak for Jesus. Then Jesus shows us that even knowing that his prayers were heard was not enough. Before doing anything else, He first gave thanks to His Father. Jesus models for us His own gratitude that His Father had taken the time to listen to His prayer. Only after that does Jesus confidently call Lazarus back from the grave. The public power Jesus had to say, Lazarus come forth!” came from His unseen hours of prayer. So today, before complaining to God about our situation or trying to command for things to be different, let’s be like Jesus and learn the timing and details of our Father’s will, and then thank Him in advance for listening. What could be more amazing than that the Creator of the universe would take time to listen to us, even weep with us and then in His perfect timing send His answer to our prayers?

Thank you Jesus for taking time to do more than miracles. 
Thank you for teaching us to pray. Amen!

What About Lazarus?

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. John 12:2 KJV

Now, we are all familiar with the story of Martha complaining to Jesus that she was doing all the work, and most know about Mary pouring perfume on the Lord’s feet, but we don’t really know much about Lazarus. The Bible doesn’t tell us even one word that he ever said. In some ways Lazarus reminds me a little of my grandmother. She once told me, “When I was young, I was my father’s daughter.” (The local doctor.) When I married, I became my husband’s wife, (my grandfather was a U.S. Navy Captain.) When I had children, I became the mother of my kids: (Both my mom and one of my uncles became somewhat well-known writers.) “What I want to know, is when I can just be me?” Like my grandmother, we don’t know anything about Lazarus personally. We first hear about him only as the brother of Mary and Martha. Later on, all we know is that he got sick and died. We aren’t told whether Lazarus was married, had any children or even what kind of job he had. But we do find out one very important thing: Jesus called him out of the grave! His life may not have been impressive, but the lesson that we learn from Lazarus is because, we are loved by Jesus Christ. We don’t need to have the best grades, the highest paying job, or a perfect family to be special to Him. To Jesus, none of those details matter more than the simple fact that He chose give His life for us and that, if we believe in Him, He will also call us from our grave. Then, just like Lazarus, we will get to sit next to Jesus at His table in heaven forever and ever. And that is pretty impressive if you ask me!

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” Saint Augustine
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