“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.“—John 11:21
If only. If only God had intervened in time, if only He had acted now and didn’t expect me to be comforted by some future promise of heaven…if only.
Martha loved her brother, Lazarus, and had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was gravely ill. But rather than hurry to His friend’s bedside, Jesus waited—and by the time He arrived, Lazarus was gone. Martha was not so subtly rebuking Jesus for waiting—and she did not understand His response: “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha had faith in the PAST. She knew Jesus could have healed her brother because she had seen His miracles. She has some faith for the FUTURE, acknowledging, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24).
But she forgot that God also lives, moves, and works in the NOW.
Jesus wants to press this lesson into our hearts. He is speaking to some of His dearest friends; He wants to bring them—and us—into an experience with God in the PRESENT.
“I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said to Martha.
Martha forgot that God’s name is not I WAS or I WILL. His name is I AM, and He wants us to believe that everything He has done in the past and promised for the future, He can also do here, NOW!
“Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Jesus asked His friends.
And then He raised Lazarus from the dead.
As we celebrate the Resurrection during this season, let God enter your life now and believe that He cares about NOW, about what happens to you today, this minute.
God is ready to help you right now.
“Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, NLT).
