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 King Solomon’s words when he said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ”Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.“ Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT).
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.”
As you see, the story of Lazarus teaches us valuable lessons about trust, patience, and the divine purpose behind our waiting and pain. Just as Jesus demonstrated His power over death and His compassion for those in distress, we can find solace in knowing that God’s timing is always perfect, even when it doesn’t align with our own understanding. Let us hold onto faith, knowing that He will make everything worth the wait.
As we navigate through life’s uncertainties and challenges, let’s lean into God’s promises and seek His guidance. If you’ve found encouragement in this reflection, I invite you to share it with others who may also benefit from its message. Together, let’s embrace the waiting and pain, knowing that they are pathways to experiencing God’s glory and grace in our lives.
4 thoughts on “I Choose Today to Wait”
What a blessing it is when we can draw from Christ as our rock & strength, to wait and trust in Him when we cast our care.
Thank you for your wisdom and reminder of that. ❤️
The waiting is SO hard most of the time. But… knowing God is at work, behind-the-scenes while I’m waiting gives me hope in the waiting.
I love your emphasis on Christ and so many of His attributes that are displayed in this passage. Thank you for putting it to Christ for we daily need that reminder of taking out eyes off the circumstances and on Christ and pressing into Him, as your said, the only place we can go and have peace in the waiting. I love where you took it also to trust! Reminds me of Jeremiah 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust IS the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” That’s like you said pressing into Christ and His promises, our roots being planted firmly in Him. Also, as you said, though it is often difficult to wait it is worth the waiting! It is for His glory ultimately. He is worthy!
Thank you for pointing to Christ where we need to be pointed, not to self but to Christ!
Thank you for sharing your insight! I love that verse from Jeremiah that reminds us that when our roots are planted in Him, even when the heat comes, we will not be affected. What an amazing word picture.