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On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

“Where were you, God?” Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Where was God when your life was falling apart? Where was God then?

Mary and Martha’s world was falling apart. Their brother, Lazarus, had been sick. And this wasn’t just a bug that knocked him out for a few days. It was obvious to his family that there wasn’t much hope he was going to recover. But this family had a special connection: a dear friend named Jesus! Jesus had healed other people before. ‘Surely Jesus will help our brother!’ Mary and Martha thought. So, they sent word for Jesus to come.

But when Jesus got word that his friend Lazarus was sick, do you know what he did? He waited. And Lazarus died. What? That doesn’t seem right! Why wouldn’t Jesus sprint to the side of his buddy Lazarus and cure him in an instant? You know that sentiment from Martha, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

I don’t know exactly what Jesus was thinking and why he didn’t come right away to heal Lazarus before he died. The Bible doesn’t say. But we can have every confidence in Jesus and that he will do things in his way and in his time.

Everyone has those times when they’re waiting for God to show up and fix this problem or that heartache. And we can turn to God in those times because he has already fixed our greatest problem—our sin! That’s why Jesus came. He came to take the sin of humanity and die so that our guilt would be taken from us. And like Lazarus, Jesus walked out of his tomb so that we could put our trust in him always.

Dear God, you know what is troubling my heart. Help me to trust in you and your plans for me. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.