It's Dead

Hermann Alb was here the other day. He is our partner in Guatemala and he shared from John 11 at our staff prayer time. Well known story. The sisters of Lazarus come to Jesus to say he is very ill. Jesus does not come right away (He waits a few days) and Lazarus dies. Jesus resurrects him.

Hermann was saying it was just a short distance. Jesus could have stopped what He was doing to go and "fix" the problem. We often go to God with our laundry list of things we want Him to "fix" for us. And He wants time with us. (As Jesus was spending with his disciples). Good to reflect on.

As I meditated a bit more during the day on the passage I thought, "Sometimes something has to be 'dead' before Jesus comes." I am thinking about a marriage, a job opportunity, a relationship, an educational plan. As I counsel couples who have difficult marriages, I often see someone who wants it fixed right away. They want to escape the stench of decay. They want out. I can understand that; it is hard for people to be in marriage that is dying.

I wonder if God wants us to stay where it is dead, to smell it, even though it is putrid, and then cry out to Him. He is the one who made it alive in the first place. he is the only one who can resurrect it. But we need to wait and stay in the same "room" with something that is dead.

Sounds disgusting, sounds hard. We need help to stay when death surrounds us. We need the Holy Spirit to fill us, enable us and restrain us from running. God may not resurrect. Time will tell. But perhaps we (I) need to learn to give it a bit more time before I run. The reality is that wherever we go, sin and death have entered, so we may be better to stay and wait.

In the end, the One who has conquered sin and death will come again and make all things new. That will be great. For now, I pray He resurrects what is dead and brings to life that which is not alive. Blessings.