There is purpose in the waiting; there is purpose in the pain.
There is an expression “it will be worth the wait.” Well, God ALWAYS shows us that His timing is worth the wait.
The account of what happened when Lazarus dies (falls asleep) (John 11:1-44) shows us so much about Jesus and the power He has over death. He wanted to illustrate a point; He wanted to show the people (of the time and all those since) that He alone has the power and was sent to conquer death. It showed His divinity.
But He also showed His humanity and love by having compassion for His friends’ pain. Which by weeping with them, showing compassion for them, comforting them, He illustrated how He would do the same for us. He was showing us how He responds to our pain.
It seems to me that it is easy for us to understand that Jesus conquered death and that He is compassionate and understands our pain. But the waiting? We don’t get it. Am I on target or am I the only one who has a hard time understanding it? Just as Jesus was illustrating a point of His power over death, in order to do that, He had to wait until Lazarus actually died. To give God the glory (which He did when He prayed and thanked God for hearing Him and doing to thing He asked), Jesus needed to wait until the perfect time.
Mary and Martha didn’t know Jesus’ plan, they just saw their circumstances. They did not see the lasting impact of Jesus’ plan for their pain, they just saw the pain. They felt frustration and disappointment for the delay, but Jesus knew the reason.
Once again, God is using this event as a reminder of His great power, wisdom, and compassion He wants to pour out on us if we stick with Him in through the waiting, through the pain.
This reminds me of Job’s words when he said, “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are His” (12:13).
This verse says to me that I do not need to understand, I just need to know and trust the One who is all wise, all powerful, all knowing, and has all understanding. He will make it worth the wait.
“Father God, thank You for knowing the perfect timing for everything. Thank You that You are all knowing, all powerful, all wise, and have all understanding. Help us to lean into You as our rock, our guide, our comfort as we wait. Help us to see the purpose in our pain. Help us to use our waiting and pain to show other’s Your great glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”