Daily Devotion: April 14

 John 11

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.” ~John 11:5-6

Wow! What was that all about?  As it is written in Isaiah 55:8-9, we often forget that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than ours, especially when we’re in the midst of a crisis or trial like the one that every person in the world is experiencing right now.  Jesus truly loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and Lazarus.  So why would He delay and stay two more days in the place He was at? After all, Jesus was already healing the sick and giving sight to the blind and He could have easily spoken the Word from where He was at, and His good friend Lazarus would’ve been healed! But the Bible tells us that the Lord allowed it for one simple reason- “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)

There were several things going on in John Chapter 11 so when you have a moment to read it, check it out.  You’ll discover that there was an issue with faith that some people were wrestling with. At this point in time, the disciples and many of Jesus’ followers had witnessed amazing miracles. But when things got hard or there was opposition, just like we are prone to experience in our life, we often doubt when it comes to believing God is truly in control. Just read a few verses later into Chapter 11 and you’ll see our buddy Thomas, aka Doubting Thomas, make a comment that clearly reveals what was going on in his heart. This would resonate with him all the way up into the later chapters when he would see the Lord again after He was crucified and risen.

As the entire world experiences life at a standstill and we pray for God to heal our land, let’s also remember to acknowledge and pray that God will use this unprecedented time for His glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it!

Prayer
Father God, You created everything both seen and unseen. Great is Your grace and mercy towards us all! We ask for that daily filling of your Holy Spirit so You could help us put our trust in You more each and every passing day. We ask for healing in our homes.  More importantly we ask that You would use what is going on in the world right now for Your glory, so the world will know who You are and that You Lord Jesus would be glorified through it!

Questions:
 1.  What did you think about Thomas’ comment to his fellow disciples? Do you think he was being a trooper or was he being sarcastic?
 2. John 11 has one of the shortest verses in the Bible. What did this reveal to you about Jesus? After discovering what “that is”, are you more convinced you can trust Him with your issues in life?