Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been
here, my brother would not have died.
John 11:21
We cry out to God in desperation, waiting to hear some hint of a
response. The waiting can be excruciating. God seems silent and
unaffected by our pleas. But out of the silence, the answer eventually
will emerge, as we see that He has heard and replied, even though we
can’t understand why it seems He has delayed and not attended to our
needs immediately. God is a good Father, and He knows what is best for
His children. There are times, when our answer is no. Not because God
desires to deprive us of things, but because His wisdom surpasses our
own, and He knows exactly how to keep our feet firmly planted, so that
we do not deviate off course and begin following a destructive path of
our own making. There are also times when the answer is not ready,
because it is much greater than our original request. Those who prayed
for Lazarus to be healed could not understand the hesitation of Jesus’
response. He loved Lazarus, why didn’t He drop what He was doing and
return immediately? It appeared that He had performed miracles for so
many, yet He neglected to help His friend when he needed Him the most.
The answers to their prayers that day were greater than they could have
anticipated. They received more than Lazarus’ life; they received the
miracle of the revelation of eternal life. When God seems silent, we are
not being ignored, we can know without a doubt, that He loves us, we
have been heard, and the answer, although possibly delayed, will be
beneficial to us, and quite possibly greater than we could have
anticipated.
Prayer
Forgive us for behaving as spoiled children, not receiving what they
have asked. We have called out to You in desperation, and we know beyond
all doubt that You have heard our pleas, and the answer although delayed
will be exactly what we need, and more. We trust in Your wisdom and
ability concerning every situation we face. Thank You for loving us so
much, and meeting our every need.
