“The people who were standing nearby said, ‘See how much he loved him!’” (John 11:36 NLT)

 

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were siblings and friends of Jesus. When Lazarus got deathly ill, Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick” (John 11:3 NLT). Theirs is a story of hope, although that’s not immediately apparent in the biblical narrative. In our last devotion, we saw that the first takeaway from the story is that life involves pain, sorrow, and death.

The second takeaway is spelled out by Lazarus’ mourners in verse 36: “See how much he loved him!” (NLT). The Lord loves us. God describes His love in Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (NLT). Whatever God does or allows to happen in our lives is motivated by His everlasting love for us.

Mary and Martha knew that Jesus loved them—and that He loved Lazarus. That’s why they sent for Him. They reacted perfectly when crisis hit. They took their troubles to Jesus.

Look at the basis for their appeal. They didn’t say, “Lord, You owe us. We fed You. You and Your friends crashed at our house.” They didn’t base their appeal on their love for Him; they based it on His love for them: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” Our love is fickle; it fluctuates. The Lord’s love for us never changes.

John 11:5–­6 reveals Jesus’ response to Mary and Martha’s message. “So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days” (NLT). When Jesus finally arrived, things were bleak. Lazarus was no longer sick; he was dead—and had been for four days. His body was decomposing. Not only did Jesus not heal His friend, but He also missed the funeral.

If that seems like a less-than-loving response, it’s because we can’t grasp the depth of the Lord’s love. Jesus wanted Mary and Martha to see the bigger picture. He wanted them to understand that because they trusted in Him, death was no longer their enemy. He wanted them to embrace the hope of resurrection.

Neither Martha nor Mary could see the big picture at first, so they focused on the smaller picture—on what seemed like Jesus’ callous disregard. Both sisters confronted Jesus with the words, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died” (verses 21, 32 NLT). Again, they took their problems to Jesus.

And that’s what you need to do when suffering and trials come your way. Some people say, “Don’t ever ask God why.” I say ask God “why” as much as you want. Just don’t always expect an answer. Be honest with Him when you pray. Say, “God, I’m not happy right now. I don’t understand this. I’m hurting. This doesn’t make sense. Why did You let this happen?” Jesus Himself said from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT).

In the end, though, we live on promises, not explanations. Along with asking “why,” we should ask “what”—as in, what am I supposed to do? The answer is, turn to the Lord with your pain and grief because He loves you.

 

Reflection question: When do you need to be reminded of God’s love for you? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.