Where Are You Lord in the Midst of My Pain - A Study of the Story of Lazarus

I cannot tell you how many times in life I have cried out to the Lord “Father where are you?”  Even though we do not always tangibly sense his presence he truly never abandons us.  In our minds he is delayed or seemingly too late to help us.  However, God’s sense of timing is in light of his eternal perspective something we are unable to grasp.  While reading through the story of Lazarus I was reminded about God’s perfect timing, how we often feel he has abandoned us, and how in the midst of our suffering he has compassion on us.

John 11:1-4        

Now a man named Lazarus was sick.  He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.   This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.

In life we are not always exempted from going through the process.  In Lazarus case the process was sickness that would ultimately lead to death.  Nothing seems more final than death but God always has the last say in any situation.  “This sickness will not end in death …” Christ saw and knew the outcome of Lazarus’s situation however, he still allowed it to happen. 

John 11:5 – 6

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus just like he cares for all of us.  However, he didn’t rush to be by their side in their moments of desperation.  During these two days I am sure the sisters were afraid, confused, and bewildered.   Their beloved brother was dying before their eyes.  I am sure they thought, “Where is Jesus?  Has he abandoned us?  Doesn’t he even care?  We went and sought him out but he has not come. We saw him heal others why has he not helped his beloved brother?  Have we sinned?   Is it something we have done to turn his affections from us?  We are alone to handle this situation ourselves.”  How often have we had these same thoughts as his children?  We may be approaching the death of a career, a marriage, a way of life, or perhaps even natural physical death.   The seemingly absence of God’s presence overtakes us.  We think we are on our own which leads to feelings of panic, despair, confusion, spiritual blindness, fear, distortion, grief, and pain as we lose sight that delay doesn’t imply desertion.

John 11:7

Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea”

There was not one moment that past that Jesus did not mourn and think of his friend Lazarus.  He had not forgotten Mary and Martha.  But he knew that he was to submit to the Father’s timing and will ensuring he would ultimately get the glory.  Suppose Jesus would have come any earlier, healed Lazarus, thus preventing natural death from ultimately occurring.  Some may have said, “Lazarus probably would have gotten better on his own anyway.”  While others could have thought “perhaps a doctor gave him some medicine or now that we think about it he really wasn’t that sick was he?”  Jesus’ delay ensured he would get the glory because Lazarus was truly dead.  What if God intervened before the deaths in our life?  Would we take the credit for our deliverance?  Would we deceive ourselves into thinking that our own striving and effort was what got us through and not the grace of God? 

We will resume our study next week.  If you enjoyed this post check out the following post:
Welcome To the Church At Laodicea