What Are You Up To, Lord? (Part 2)
Quick recap: Tough times are part of life. Martha and Mary, sisters and friends of Jesus, were in the darkest of days in their lives because their brother, Lazarus, died (John 11).
They knew if Jesus had come before Lazarus died, that everything would have been fine. Now, Jesus shows up after Lazarus was dead. What good is that? Have you ever thought Jesus showed up in your life either late, or not at all?
Look what God can do through the tough times in our lives.
1. Jesus can reveal Himself in a new way.
2. Jesus can grow our faith.
3. Jesus can bring glory to Himself.
4. Jesus can minister through us more effectively.
Last time we looked at the first two things God can do through these tough times: reveal Himself in a new way and grow our faith. We press on…
3. Jesus can bring glory to Himself.
Twice in the John 11 account Jesus mentions that all of this occurred to bring God glory. When Jesus was first informed (as if He needed to be) of Lazarus’ sickness, Jesus said: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4, NIV). Jesus knew the entire time that something great was going to happen and that God was going to get the credit for it.
Even later, Jesus was preparing for the climax of the plot twist and asked that the stone to Lazarus’ tomb be pushed aside. He was told this was not a good idea because of the odor from a four-day dead body would be, shall we say…noticeable.
Jesus responded: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40, NIV). Again, Jesus pointed to the ultimate reason for Lazarus dying and coming back to life, God’s glory.
The tough times in our lives allow God to bring glory to Himself. The tougher the obstacle provides the framework for more and more glory to God. When our goal transitions from our being comfortable to God being glorified, these trials in life highlight those times when God does what only He can do, and He gets all of the credit for it.
4. Jesus can minister through us more effectively.
Can you imagine how many times Mary, Martha, and Lazarus retold that story in their lives? And every time, Jesus was the hero of the story. When God brings you through the tough times in your life, you will have numerous opportunities to retell how awesome Jesus is and what He has done for you. And every time, you have the chance to make Jesus the hero of your story, too. Without the struggles, the pain, and the hopeless situations, these stories of God’s faithfulness, God’s strength, and God’s love could never be told.
Resurrections are awesome. But first, someone has to die.