When Jesus was doing His earthly ministry, He had some close friends in Bethany. They were Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. One day, Lazarus became very sick and was dying. So Mary sent words to Jesus to come and heal Lazarus, but Jesus decided to wait two days to go to Lazarus, but by then, Lazarus died. When we examined this historical story, it seemed that Jesus didn't care about his friend Lazarus. Jesus heard Mary's request, but Jesus did not respond to the way Mary was hoping for Jesus to respond. Instead, Jesus allowed Lazarus to die. However, Jesus had a reason for allowing Lazarus to die. Jesus said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." (John 11:1-6).
When we go through desperate situations in our lives, especially when it is a death or life situation, we go to God for help. But when our prayers are not being granted, we feel that God is ignoring us. We feel being abandoned or rejected. There are problems in our lives that are too much to handle. They are overwhelming, and we need God to intervene, but it seems He is not doing anything. Then we ask the questions: where are you God? Are you there? Do you care? We start to doubt God's goodness and love towards us. However, everything that God allows in our lives has a purpose and a reason. The ultimate goal of God in our lives is for Him to be glorified in us. God wants us to experience His presence and power in us through our circumstances. There are times that God uses pain and suffering in our lives to draw us closer to Him. When my mother died when I was 15 years old, it was at that moment that our Heavenly Father drew me closer to Himself. I was scared and confused, but God opened my spiritual eyes to see that Jesus was my savior. God gave me a new hope in Him. Death or losing someone you love is painful, but God is bigger than death. He conquered death on the cross.
We need to be encouraged that God never abandons or rejects us. We are always near to His heart. Death and suffering in this world are part of being a human in this fallen world. We have hope beyond our life in this world. We need to keep on trusting in our God, and in the end, we will understand His amazing plan and purpose in our lives.
Ask yourself these questions: What should I do when I am overwhelmed with my problem? What is God's purpose in my life?
Write down all the worries that you are facing today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you that my life is always in your hands. I'm always near to your heart. Please help me trust you completely and give me peace, provision, and wisdom in handling my problems. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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