John 11:21 & 32 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." (32) Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Have you ever found yourself saying, "Lord, but if only..."? I know I have. What are we saying to God when we say, "Lord, but if only..."? What we are saying, without saying it out loud, is, "Lord, if only You had shown up on my timetable and done things in a way that better suited me." "Lord, if only You had answered my prayers exactly as I requested, this situation would not have been as painful for me as You allowed it to be." When we see the situation with Lazarus, we know that Jesus' ultimate goal was to glorify the Father to the utmost. His delay, and the miracle that followed, accomplished glorifying the Father, giving further proof that He is the giver of Life, and as frosting on the cake, strengthened Mary's, Martha's, and Lazarus' faith. When I find myself saying, "Lord, if only You had...", I have to stop and ask, "Who do I think I am to dictate how the Lord will answer my prayers?" "Who am I to think that I should endure less pain in this world, when Jesus endured the unthinkable for me; and yet He was completely innocent?" The next time we are tempted to say, "Lord, if only You had...", we need to stop and ask ourselves, "When did my ways and thoughts become God's ways and thoughts; and when did I become a god who knows better than the only God who is Omniscient, Omni-present and All-powerful?" When life hits us the hardest, know that as a born again follower of Jesus, He is already with us, walking with us, fully aware of what is needed, and fully aware of what He needs to do and when He needs to do it, for the glory of His Name alone.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).
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