eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God
There’s nothing wrong with asking God, “Why?” After all, we’re human, and often we just don’t get it. I’ve often wondered if God answered my “whys,” would it have made things better or worse. Would His answer have immediately healed the pain, or instantly mended my broken heart, or merely raise more questions?
In John 11, we read about a family that was devastated by a tragedy, the death of a family member. They were close friends with Jesus and had sent word to Him that Lazarus was sick. "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick" [11:3].
When you read that, you might expect the very next verse to say, “So Jesus transported Himself from where He was to where they were, healed Lazarus immediately, and they all lived happily ever after.” Makes sense, right?
Instead, we read that He remained where He was for a couple of more days, during which time His friend died. By the time He arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. It almost seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? If Jesus really loved Lazarus, then why didn’t He go immediately and heal him?
Therein lies one of our problems. Why didn’t Jesus go and heal Lazarus? Simply because His way is higher than our way. Mary and Martha had healing in mind, but Jesus had resurrection in mind. Mary and Martha were about to experience what Paul would later tell the Ephesian Christ followers, that Jesus is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” [3:20].
When tragedy strikes, we lose perspective. It’s difficult to see clearly when our eyes are filled with tears. That’s why we cast ourselves on the all sufficient grace of God. Because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, they are always best.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
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