Most of us
expect to have what we want and need immediately. Our technology-driven world
has learned how to speed up the delivery of goods, services, and information.
As a result, the level of patience for a typical person has dropped to almost nothing.
We have also seen how important timing is to success in sports, business, and
even relationships. We take action. We expect an immediate response. How can
good come any other way?
Yet, in our
spiritual lives, we do not always see immediate response. We pray, and God
often answers immediately, but sometimes he doesn’t. This can challenge our
faith. Does Jesus care? Is he even there?
I imagine Mary
and Martha felt that way at the beginning of John Chapter 11. Their brother
Lazarus was deathly sick. They knew Jesus had the power to heal. They had no
doubt seen him heal many others. They were even special friends of Jesus, so
they sent him word, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” (Verse 3) They just knew he would come right
away, but he didn’t. (See Verse 6 above.) Jesus did not respond immediately. He
did not work as they expected, and things got much worse. Lazarus died.
Interestingly,
both Martha and Mary greeted Jesus with the same words. “Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus did not work as they expected. He
took longer. They blamed his delay for the bad outcome, but Jesus had much more
in store than they could have imagined. The large crowd that had gathered to
comfort Martha and Mary got to see both Jesus’ compassion and love for the
sisters and their brother, but they also got to see the power of God raise a
man from the dead. As a result, many believed in him (Verse 45), and Mary and
Martha got their brother back. Had he shown up and healed Lazarus’ privately,
only the sisters would have received the benefit. Now, hundreds believed and we
have the account in scripture that has moved millions to faith.
God may not
always work on our preferred schedule, but that does not mean he is not at work.
Sometimes more is accomplished with a little delay than an immediate answer.