Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days. Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:39-40 (NAB)
Martha and Mary sent for Jesus when Lazarus became critically ill. Jesus showed up four days after he died, giving the impression to his closest friends in the world, that He was in no hurry to get there. Martha thought His timing was way off, and she hinted of feeling abandoned by Him. She hoped He would have arrived in time but now she lost her hope.
Jesus didn’t abandon His friends, and He wasn’t careless in the timing of His arrival. He didn’t purposely plan to put Martha and Mary in further distress, but He wanted to teach a lesson of trust, and that it is never too late for God to show up, in any situation.
When God doesn’t do according to our expectations, it means He has a better plan. In approaching the tomb, Martha was explaining to Jesus that a body decomposes after four days, which she didn’t need to tell Him, since “all things were created through Him.”
(John 1:3)
We have all been like Martha at times, feeling like God’s timing is off or that He forgot about us. When we pray, we might think we need to explain to God what could happen if He doesn’t intervene. Jesus wants us to be assured that He is with us and understands the situation, but He is also working according to His will and timeline, not ours.
Prayer has to be more than just telling God how He can solve the problems we have. He already knows everything but He is looking for our trust. Faith is believing that He is who He says He is, but trust is being able to yield to His will and timing. Our expectations are usually based on our time deadlines, but God is not governed by those limitations.
By faith we believe that God is always with us, but it’s our trust that accepts His own timing. It’s almost a form of therapy to ask God to let His will be done. In saying those four words from the heart, “Thy will be done,” brings glory to God, as well as the peace of the Holy Spirit.
I have a new appreciation for those four words. To say it and mean it, is to yield all of my deadlines and expectations to a higher plan, called “God’s will.”
It changes my whole perspective, alleviating my stress and anxiety.
Jesus told Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” The death of Lazarus revealed the glory of God because it was never His will to heal him, but rather to raise him from the dead on the fourth day. God may not always do what we expect, within our timing, but He always has a much better plan, and we can seal our trust in Him by saying, “Thy will be done.”
St Augustine said:
“If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds only what you are not yet ready for.”
Lord, we believe you transcend all deadlines and limitations and so we yield our will to yours, trusting that your plan is the best. Amen
