Where Were You?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0PmaKxOtA

Too Good to Not Believe ~ Cody Carnes

‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ ~ John 11:21-22 NIVUK

Recently, my prayers felt dry, empty. One morning, I asked Holy Spirit to help me to pray, again. Then, in the way that only He can, Holy Spirit led me to my answer.

John 11 opens with the news that Lazarus is ill. Instead of going to Lazarus immediately, Jesus doesn't begin the journey to His friend’s home till after Lazarus died. Before He’d even arrived, Martha ran out to meet Jesus and said, “Lord...if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” (v.21). In essence, “Where were You?” 

Have you ever asked that of someone? Have you ever asked that of God? Where were You in my need? Where were You in my suffering? Where were You when we were praying for healing? Martha’s attack, though out of pain and anger, was not unleashed upon a stranger, but on a very close friend. That realization answered my questions about my prayers. Because I know that God is with me and He hears my prayers, I expected Him to answer when we prayed fervently for Brad’s sick friend, and again when we prayed for another friend’s mom, and again when we prayed for someone else. But when each person either passed away or kept getting worse, it became harder and harder to pray and believe that my prayers were being heard.

Jesus was not troubled by Martha’s attack, nor is He by ours. Only someone who cares about the relationship cares enough to ask, “Where were you” in their pain. Instead of rebuking Martha, He redirected her focus to the truth: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (vv.25-26). The most important answer is not Jesus’ reasoning for how He answered our prayers, but our answer to His question: Do you believe? Do you trust Me? 

The Lord has done His job, and He continues to remain faithful and trustworthy. Our job is to pray fervently, walk purely, and believe wholly. If you’ve been feeling dry in your prayer life, it’s time to ask yourself, “Do I trust Jesus? Do I believe?”

©Heather Potts 2021

Disappointment

https://youtu.be/lpLrD1JaPKc Lean Back ~ Amanda Cooke & Chandler Moore | Maverick City Worship  When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ~ John 11:32 NIV We've all experienced disappointment at some point in our lives. During one of our virtual group meetings, our leader asked us to speak on a disappointment, if we were comfortable. I shared the story of finding out that our second baby – which we thought was a boy, the son God said we’d have – was a little girl. My disappointment cut deep that day. I’m certain this is similar to how Martha and Mary felt after their brother died. As Mary wept at Jesus’ feet, her disappointment and betrayal flooded to the surface. Mary believed Jesus was able to do the miracle of healing Lazarus when he was sick. But Jesus didn’t come through when and how she’d hoped. When God doesn’t come through for us as we’d like, we’re often left with feelings of disappointment and betrayal. It’s what we do with our feelings that matters. A friend encouraged me to share my raw and honest feelings with God. She said He was big enough to handle it. It was over six years ago when we learned our second baby was a girl. Taking my friend’s advice, I took my hurting heart to God and asked Him to tell me about our little girl and what to name her. He whispered, “Elizabeth.” I began to cry the tears of a daughter who’d been tenderly touched by her loving Father when I read the meaning of her name. Elizabeth means, “Fullness or abundance of God,” a true reflection of how He filled our lives with her. If you’re feeling disappointment or betrayal by God because He didn’t come through in the way or timing you hoped, don’t let it cause a rift between you. Instead, take your raw and honest feeling to Him. Not only is He big enough to handle it, He longs to keep those lines of communication open, so that you’ll hear and feel Him comforting you, the child He loves. ©Heather Potts 2020