Right on time

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  –John 11:21 (ESV)
 
When Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus that their brother was ill, they were hopeful. Never mind the fact that another trip to Judea had become increasingly risky for Jesus. Never mind that Jesus had already proven He could heal at distance, sight unseen. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus had a relationship with Jesus. He was their friend. He was Messiah. They expected He would find a way to come to them and that His presence would bring healing for Lazarus. Because that’s who Jesus was. Right?
 
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life….”  –John 11:25a (ESV)
 
What they DID NOT expect was for Jesus to remain where He was for two more days before beginning the trip to Bethany. What they DID NOT expect was for their “good and dead” brother to be brought back to life. But Jesus did the first unexpected thing in order to accomplish the second unexpected thing in a way that was dramatic and unmistakable. This miracle became the “straw that broke the camel’s back” (as Jesus knew it would), marking the beginning of the end in the lead-up to the cross, where our sin-debt would be marked “paid in full”.
 
Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  –John 11:43b-44 (NIV)
 
I’m pretty sure there have been times when I tried to pray my way around things I needed to go through. Sometimes things get worse before they get better. And sometimes that’s by design. And sometimes, the better is only made possible because we went through the worse. Sometimes it feels like God is showing up late. And sometimes, God winks. So when He shows up, sometimes He shows off. Over time, I’ve learned to adjust my prayers. What if I was hoping for a healing and He wants to show me a resurrection?
 
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”  –John 11:40 (ESV)
 
I’ve been praying a particular prayer for a while. I haven’t seen any fruit yet. Sometimes, it seems like the harder I pray, the worse the situation becomes. I’ll confess I’ve been close to despair. But I believe in the truth Jesus conveyed in the parable of the persistent widow. In it, a corrupt judge gives an old lady her due because he knows he’ll get no peace until he does. So I keep praying. Because I know my God is a Good Judge. And His timing, though not always what I expect, is perfect. Just ask Martha and Mary.
 
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  –1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (ESV)