When God Doesn't Show Up "On Time"
“Lord,”
Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here,
my
brother would not have died.”
John
11:21 (NIV)
When six-year-old Glenn invited all sixteen of his
classmates to his birthday party, he expected at least a few to come. But not
one of them showed up. This little boy with autism was devastated.
“I know this might be something silly to rant about, but
my heart is breaking for my son,” his mother Ashlee wrote to the Facebook group
Osceola Rants, Raves and Reviews List… “He keeps asking, “when will my
friends get here?”
Mary and Martha knew all about failed expectations. Though
they’d sent word to Jesus, asking Him to come as quickly as possible because
their brother was sick, their friend didn’t show up. Verse 6 of chapter 11 offers
us a little behind-the-scenes peek, revealing that Jesus chose to stay where He
was two more days. It was a deliberate choice on His part, a decision which
clearly confused his followers.
Most of us know the end of the story. Jesus waited for
Lazarus to die so He could raise him from the dead. His delay was intentional
because He had a greater purpose than healing Lazarus. His plan was to demonstrate
His incredible might and power and to prove He truly was the Son of God.
Have you ever experienced times when you’ve cried out to
God but your prayers don’t seem to get past the ceiling? Have you felt that God
abandoned you when you needed Him the most? Does He, at times, seem as silent
as the night around you? Shouldn’t He at least speak a word or do something,
anything, just to show He knows about our struggle and truly cares?
Truth is, God knows every struggle. He sees every tear
that slides down your cheek and falls on your pillow and logs them in His
tearbook. He understands your grief and shares your pain. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells
us, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts
higher than your thoughts.”
God
is not ignoring you. He could never forsake His own. But He is working out His
purpose in your life. That’s where faith steps in; faith clings to the
knowledge that God is good and God cares. Though we may not see His plan, we
know without the shadow of a doubt that He is working everything for good. He
hasn’t failed to show up, He’s simply looking at the bigger picture and it’s a
masterpiece!
Glenn’s friends didn’t show up, but guess who did? A
local shop owner and her family were the first to arrive, then a dozen or so
families stopped by. A helicopter flew over his house in a show of support,
then throughout the week, police cars, fire trucks, a SWAT van, and a canine
unit stopped by to wish the little boy a “happy birthday.” What appeared to be his biggest letdown turned out to be the best birthday ever.
Comments