John's Gospel Devotional

I read this devotional yesterday and it really fits where I am so I want to keep a copy.

‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ (v.32)

Faith is stretched to the extreme when challenged by severe distress and, especially, by bereavement.
Today, we observe two grief-stricken sisters as they subtly reproach their close friend (vv.21,32), stopping short of demanding why Jesus couldn’t be bothered to come sooner. Their perception of the ‘here and now’ far outweighed their eternal perspective; their hope for eternal life overshadowed by the immediate reality of their sorrow.
Although Jesus’ delay was no mistake, He was ‘deeply moved in spirit and troubled’ (v.33). His perfect timing revealed God’s power over mankind’s greatest predator, but these were His dear friends – He felt their grief. Moreover, Jesus’ sorrow was marked with anger – indignation at the enemy who holds mankind in his death-vice. He reaffirmed His resolve to bring about Satan’s downfall, despite imminent torture.
To believe in Jesus is to experience, in this physical life, something of our eternal life: ‘… if you believed, you would see the glory of God’ (v.40). Jesus had no problem raising Lazarus from the dead; His greater challenge lay in removing Martha’s hesitancy to believe (v.39).
Jesus’ love was manifested through obedience to His Father, but that didn’t stop Him feeling com- passion. Are you now suffering sorrow and distress? If so, rest awhile in the security of God’s loving presence, trusting Him with your pain. When my close friend died in his mid-twenties, my confused heart had to learn the painful lesson that God won’t always choose to restore our loss, but His presence will provide the ‘miracle’ we need, helping us to cope with ‘today’ and, in time, to move on to ‘tomorrow’.
Welcome letter from Jeannette Barwick
Articles


Lord, I believe in Your power over all situations but, just at this moment, I need You to help me believe that You care; that You’re here with me right now.


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