This past Monday, the title of the devotion from Our Daily Bread was “The Miracle of Salvation”. The author, Kimya Loder, recounts the story of Kevin Lynn; a blogger who was supernaturally saved from committing suicide. God stepped into that moment, filled him with conviction and gave him an overwhelming reminder of His loving presence, and his life was changed. Lynn currently has a YouTube ministry where he shares his experience and his transformational story as well as those of others. God is indeed glorified when we accept Him and allow Him to transform our lives.
Jesus stepped into the life of his dear friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus and everything was changed. Chapter 11 of the Gospel of John, gives us an extraordinary encounter of Jesus and this family. The chapter teaches us several lessons in our Christian walk and journey. We are told in this scripture that Mary and Martha reached out to Jesus when their brother Lazarus got sick. Who do you go to when you have a problem? Jesus loved this family. However, when He was informed that Lazarus was ill, His response was “Lazarus sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this” (John 11:4 NLT). Jesus did not go right away, He stayed two more days before proceeding to Judea (John 11:5-7). How do you feel when you pray and the answers do not come soon enough? We get disappointed, and feel abandoned; there has been situations where people have lost their faith. May that not be our portion in the mighty name of Jesus! Delay is not denial, the answer will surely come, but in His own time. He sees the whole picture and He knows best, He will be glorified when He finally answers.
Lazarus had died and had been in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus got to Bethany. Mary and Martha believed in Jesus and they were very much aware He was capable of doing anything miraculous. Mary’s faith and belief in Jesus can be seen in her statement – “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask” (vrs. 21-22). However, when Jesus requested that the stone be removed from the tomb, Martha said “Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he had been dead for four days (vrs. 39b KJV)”. Very often our sight and our circumstances hinder us from believing the truth of God’s Word. May we always be encouraged by the Word of God just as Jesus encouraged Martha with the words “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
Jesus prayed to the Father for His glory to be manifested and for those around to believe in Him. Then He called Lazarus out from the tomb. Jesus is still interceding on our behalf; it does not matter how big or small an issue is, we can call upon Him. Psalm 50:15NLT says “Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you and you will give me glory”. He called Lazarus out, he walked out, and Jesus asked them to unwrap him and to let him loose. From this supernatural occurrence, it is recorded that many people who were with Mary believed in Jesus.
May God help us so that we are not just hearers of the Word of God but doers. May we put into practice what we learn from Bible Study and from the pulpit. As we do this, our lives will be transformed, others will come to know the Lord and He alone will get all the glory and praise! October 2, 2022 — Pastor Christina Nyen