It has been a while since I have written a new entry on the series "Seeing Things Differently". This series of blog entries aim to view things the way Jesus views them; view people not on their past and present situation but on their eternal destination.
There are many things that make me worry and one of them is "delay". I hate delays, being delayed and being the cause of delay. We rely on technology in order to avoid possible delays. We plan, we write on a paper, we do our weekly meetings and annual planning in order to see (if there is any) the possible chances of delay so we can avoid it. For some, being delayed by traffic is annoying and for others, being delayed due to long lines is tiring - but still the same, we try our best not to be delayed.
But delay in these aspects are still shallow compared to a student who is waiting for the money in order to take the prelim exams; a mother who is anxious because she has no money on her hands to meet present needs or waiting for a text confirmation just to know that her children are safe; a father who is banking on the next payday to provide for the hospital bills and medicine that his baby needs; a friend suffering in depression, hoping for that encouragement to come; a family waiting for rescue during the storm; an addict, waiting for that moment to be freed from his own addictions; a sinner, waiting for that moment of salvation.
There was a time when Jesus, in the midst of a very important need, responded with delay. Yes, you read it right: Jesus responded with Delay. You can read the whole account of this in John 11.
When Lazarus was suffering in sickness, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus about their brother. When He learned about this, he said that this sickness will not end in death and stayed in the place where He was for 2 days. His response showed no urgency to His disciples, considering that this is already a matter of life and death. When Jesus decided to come and "wake" Lazarus up, His disciples said that it is better for him to sleep in order to get well but Jesus said plainly to them that Lazarus is dead and that He is glad that He is not there in order that they may believe. When Jesus arrived in the scene, Lazarus was already inside the tomb enclosed by a boulder for 4 days. Mary told Jesus if he was there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus went to see where they have placed Lazarus. Jesus told the people to take away the stone but Martha was concerned with the odor of the body. Jesus threw a rhetorical question at Martha (and possibly, to everyone there): Did I not tell that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? They took the stone away and Jesus, after uttering a short prayer, commanded Lazarus to come out and he was resurrected from the dead.
We cringe during delays. When the answer that we have been waiting for does not come on time - we doubt. We result to fear instead of faith because most of the times it is convenient to immerse ourselves in worry and doubt instead of rising up in faith and conviction. We believe God for great things but when these great things do not come on time - we no longer call them great, we abandon the idea or even worse - we abandon Him. We question Him: Are you even listening, God? When the God of the universe, the God that we are praying to, all of a sudden responds with delay - we question Him. We are humans, yes and we doubt but we both know that we never want to live in doubt forever.
While I was studying the account of Lazarus' Resurrection, I was surprised with what I have found out. I learned that God was really, now I know this will sound cliché, totally in control.
Jesus came when Lazarus was already in the tomb for 4 days. There was a Jewish superstition that the soul stays near the grave only for 3 days, hoping to return to the body. This means that on the 4th day, there will be no hope of resuscitation. We may not believe in such superstitions when we offer our prayers, but sometimes we rely on a "formula" on how God answers prayers. We pray hesitantly, meaning we say what we need, how badly we need it - but we want our prayers to be answered on our way. The people during Jesus' time probably relied on this superstition but Jesus boldly demolished this by coming on the 4th day and still being able to resurrect Lazarus. God's Will for us is not merely for us to enjoy the answer to our prayers, He also wants us to enjoy life the way He originally designed it and that life is not based on traditions nor superstitions but on the Truth. The Truth that Eternal Life is found in Him.
Martha's knowledge about Jesus and the Resurrection. When Martha told Jesus about the possible outcome if He was there a bit earlier, He replied with: Your brother will rise again. Martha responded by saying that she knows about the resurrection at the last day. But Jesus was not after her intellectual assent, He was after her belief regarding who He is and what He can do, that is why He asked Martha: Do you believe this? We do believe that Jesus is our Savior King. He is our great provider, healer, deliverer - you name it! But all our beliefs are tested when delays happen. We may know that Jesus is our provider but do we believe that He will provide? Or do we believe that He is still in control when there is delay? What we have on our heads must come down to our hearts. Holding on to the promises of God is not always a head issue but also a heart issue.
Jesus' anger towards death. If you will read the account, you will encounter verses 33 and 35 which showed Jesus anger and indignation - not towards those who doubted but to the greatest enemy of man which is death. What is the connection of doubt and death? In the beginning, just before the fall of Man, Eve fell into the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit. She did this because she believed what the Devil said and doubted what God commanded them, causing sin to enter the world and death ruled mankind - but not for long. We may not experience physical death every day, but every time, every moment we choose to doubt - we choose to die. Not instantly but gradually. Not (yet) physically, but spiritually. If you will remember, Jesus will always say that those who believe in Him will not die, meaning those who do not - will die. This is because God knows that our spirit thrives when we trust or when properly stated: Our spirit thrives when we trust in Him. Doubting is dying and believing is living. Every time we experience delay - it is always an opportunity to believe - an opportunity to live.
Jesus' goal is not just answered prayers but the display of His Glory. Let me tell you straight: THIS LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU. God answers our prayers not because we deserve it or because we read a couple of chapters from the Bible or a complete church attendance - He answers our prayers because He wants to show His Glory. Jesus is capable of performing the miracle apart from the belief of Mary, Martha and all the people combined - but it will be their loss. Jesus' arrival on the 4th day, His demand for Martha to believe in Him and his anger towards death are for the greater showcase of His glory and not a result of our "righteousness" or devotion. This may not make sense to us at first because we are selfish (you can doubt it if you want but it's better if you just believe it) but really, all these are for God's Glory. Our response during the delays we experience is not to show-off our character or our sound mind - it is to show God's Glory.
After all these, I have come to realize that His Delays were not Denials rather, they would bring greater Glory to God. If there is one thing that we should remember, it is that the next delay we encounter may be the next opportunity to see God's Glory. After all, He has all the time in the world.
Don't be afraid, see delays differently. See things Differently.
But delay in these aspects are still shallow compared to a student who is waiting for the money in order to take the prelim exams; a mother who is anxious because she has no money on her hands to meet present needs or waiting for a text confirmation just to know that her children are safe; a father who is banking on the next payday to provide for the hospital bills and medicine that his baby needs; a friend suffering in depression, hoping for that encouragement to come; a family waiting for rescue during the storm; an addict, waiting for that moment to be freed from his own addictions; a sinner, waiting for that moment of salvation.
There was a time when Jesus, in the midst of a very important need, responded with delay. Yes, you read it right: Jesus responded with Delay. You can read the whole account of this in John 11.
When Lazarus was suffering in sickness, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus about their brother. When He learned about this, he said that this sickness will not end in death and stayed in the place where He was for 2 days. His response showed no urgency to His disciples, considering that this is already a matter of life and death. When Jesus decided to come and "wake" Lazarus up, His disciples said that it is better for him to sleep in order to get well but Jesus said plainly to them that Lazarus is dead and that He is glad that He is not there in order that they may believe. When Jesus arrived in the scene, Lazarus was already inside the tomb enclosed by a boulder for 4 days. Mary told Jesus if he was there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus went to see where they have placed Lazarus. Jesus told the people to take away the stone but Martha was concerned with the odor of the body. Jesus threw a rhetorical question at Martha (and possibly, to everyone there): Did I not tell that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? They took the stone away and Jesus, after uttering a short prayer, commanded Lazarus to come out and he was resurrected from the dead.
We cringe during delays. When the answer that we have been waiting for does not come on time - we doubt. We result to fear instead of faith because most of the times it is convenient to immerse ourselves in worry and doubt instead of rising up in faith and conviction. We believe God for great things but when these great things do not come on time - we no longer call them great, we abandon the idea or even worse - we abandon Him. We question Him: Are you even listening, God? When the God of the universe, the God that we are praying to, all of a sudden responds with delay - we question Him. We are humans, yes and we doubt but we both know that we never want to live in doubt forever.
While I was studying the account of Lazarus' Resurrection, I was surprised with what I have found out. I learned that God was really, now I know this will sound cliché, totally in control.
Jesus came when Lazarus was already in the tomb for 4 days. There was a Jewish superstition that the soul stays near the grave only for 3 days, hoping to return to the body. This means that on the 4th day, there will be no hope of resuscitation. We may not believe in such superstitions when we offer our prayers, but sometimes we rely on a "formula" on how God answers prayers. We pray hesitantly, meaning we say what we need, how badly we need it - but we want our prayers to be answered on our way. The people during Jesus' time probably relied on this superstition but Jesus boldly demolished this by coming on the 4th day and still being able to resurrect Lazarus. God's Will for us is not merely for us to enjoy the answer to our prayers, He also wants us to enjoy life the way He originally designed it and that life is not based on traditions nor superstitions but on the Truth. The Truth that Eternal Life is found in Him.
Martha's knowledge about Jesus and the Resurrection. When Martha told Jesus about the possible outcome if He was there a bit earlier, He replied with: Your brother will rise again. Martha responded by saying that she knows about the resurrection at the last day. But Jesus was not after her intellectual assent, He was after her belief regarding who He is and what He can do, that is why He asked Martha: Do you believe this? We do believe that Jesus is our Savior King. He is our great provider, healer, deliverer - you name it! But all our beliefs are tested when delays happen. We may know that Jesus is our provider but do we believe that He will provide? Or do we believe that He is still in control when there is delay? What we have on our heads must come down to our hearts. Holding on to the promises of God is not always a head issue but also a heart issue.
Jesus' anger towards death. If you will read the account, you will encounter verses 33 and 35 which showed Jesus anger and indignation - not towards those who doubted but to the greatest enemy of man which is death. What is the connection of doubt and death? In the beginning, just before the fall of Man, Eve fell into the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit. She did this because she believed what the Devil said and doubted what God commanded them, causing sin to enter the world and death ruled mankind - but not for long. We may not experience physical death every day, but every time, every moment we choose to doubt - we choose to die. Not instantly but gradually. Not (yet) physically, but spiritually. If you will remember, Jesus will always say that those who believe in Him will not die, meaning those who do not - will die. This is because God knows that our spirit thrives when we trust or when properly stated: Our spirit thrives when we trust in Him. Doubting is dying and believing is living. Every time we experience delay - it is always an opportunity to believe - an opportunity to live.
Jesus' goal is not just answered prayers but the display of His Glory. Let me tell you straight: THIS LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU. God answers our prayers not because we deserve it or because we read a couple of chapters from the Bible or a complete church attendance - He answers our prayers because He wants to show His Glory. Jesus is capable of performing the miracle apart from the belief of Mary, Martha and all the people combined - but it will be their loss. Jesus' arrival on the 4th day, His demand for Martha to believe in Him and his anger towards death are for the greater showcase of His glory and not a result of our "righteousness" or devotion. This may not make sense to us at first because we are selfish (you can doubt it if you want but it's better if you just believe it) but really, all these are for God's Glory. Our response during the delays we experience is not to show-off our character or our sound mind - it is to show God's Glory.
After all these, I have come to realize that His Delays were not Denials rather, they would bring greater Glory to God. If there is one thing that we should remember, it is that the next delay we encounter may be the next opportunity to see God's Glory. After all, He has all the time in the world.
Don't be afraid, see delays differently. See things Differently.
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