“A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… The sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill…’ Jesus said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer where he was… Then Jesus told [his disciples], ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him…”
“Now… Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days… When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him,.. ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again… I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’
“When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…’Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb… ‘Take away the stone… Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?… He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out.” John 11:1,3-6,14-15,17,20-23,25-27,32,38,40,43-45
The tangle of live oaks makes for a picturesque view of the colorless early sky, or at least its backdrop. The fixture of them draws attention to their intricacies and complications, obfuscating the great beyond. A chill breeze blows, but they do not budge, holding fast their weblike canopy that hangs overhead and by its nature and nearness, closes in.
And so it is with our web of conflicts and pain and troubles. Lord, if only You’d clear all these away, I could see. If only You had been here, I wouldn’t be suffering this disease. If only You had intervened, I wouldn’t have lost my job, my child wouldn’t have failed, or be lost in a far country. If only You’d changed him/her, my marriage would have survived. We recite our if onlys as though God were not nigh, and as though if He were, we would not suffer what is common to men.
But the Lord turns us upward and beyond in the midst of pain. Your brother will rise again. He’s more interested in changing and inspiring lives than smoothing life issues. He intends to glorify His Son as we come to switch out He will for our if onlys, and believe.
What regrets are we carrying? What circumstances do we chafe under and wish would change? What unfulfilled expectations are we holding against God, who could be and we think should be acting on our behalf? Jesus hears, cares deeply, and redirects our attention. Your brother will rise again. I will redeem all things. All will be well. Will we today look beyond our circumstances to the One who orders them for His glory? (Habakkuk 3:17-19; Hebrews 13:5)
Father, turn my doubt and wanting to bold, joyous expectation in You.
As the rain and snow 