Today is Day 24 of our walk through the Gospel of John.  Thanks so much for joining us!  You can sign up to receive email updates here. 

A Reflection on John 11: 1-27

“And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (v 22)

Martha is in mourning. A spark of hope led her and Mary to send for Jesus, for surely the Lord, who loved Lazarus, would come and heal him as He had healed so many before. But He did not come. And now her brother lies dead in the tomb. The hope crushed within her; all she can do now is grieve.

But then she receives word: He is coming. Something stirs within her, the spark that was so nearly quelled kindles. Not content to sit and wait, she runs to meet him on the road. She falls to her knees, and lays her grief at His feet. “Lord, if you had been here…” she begins. She is overwhelmed with sorrow. Through her sobs, she expresses her heart to the Lord. Without fear, she lays bare all that she has been feeling, all that has been building within her for the last four days since her brother died. And with that tiny spark of hope and a mustard seed of faith, she makes her heart known to Him: “And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Can we do the same? Can we go to the Lord and lay it all at His feet, and can we repeat those words of Martha? Can we acknowledge His Lordship over all, can we trust in the wisdom of His ways even when they are not our wishes? And even if He does not answer us as we hope he would, can we answer as Martha does: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”? (v 27).

My Jesus, I come to You, with just a spark of hope and a mustard seed of faith, knowing that is all You ask of me. I lay my worries, fears, and grief at Your feet. I do not know how You will answer me, but I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. And Yes, Lord, I believe that are the Christ, the Son of God. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

Scripture quotations are from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright ©1965, 1966 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.