Thread by @TosinOlunuga

"Lord, thanks for showing up, but where were You when we needed You most?"

A "sensible" and justifiable question we sometimes ask

Isaiah 58:9 MSG
Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'
Well, this time Lord, you were not around.

You dint "show up" as promised

Mary, one of Lazarus' sisters, knew too well from following Jesus, that He could heal the sick, the possessed, the blind etc, so, when her brother fell ill, there was no other person to call on, but, Jesus, their very dear friend. she then, quickly

sent words to Jesus before things got out of hand, before things became irredeemable.

John 11:3 MSG
 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Master, the one you love so very much is sick."

She was fully persuaded He would leave every other thing He was doing and come running,

afterall, Jesus was a close family friend, and besides, that's what friends do.  She recalled how they had sheltered Him, fed Him etc. " I know, He will be here soon," she said boldly and openly.

She sat all day by the window from sunrise to sunset, confident He would show up.

Day 1, no appearance of Jesus. Dint He get the message, or did they not tell Him what critical condition Lazarus was? 

Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and by this time, hope had given way to hopelessness. She was, as it were, "mortally disappointed" how can Jesus do this to us, the ones

He has openly showed so much love to? How?

She slowly slid into her crib and wept.

Why would Jesus treat us like this?

If He had showed up on day 1 when my brother died, I know he wld have been able to do something, but, this is day four of his death, and by now, he is already

decomposing. Nothing more can be done.

Suddenly, she was jolted out if her thoughts by the commotion at the gate, she heard Jesus just arrived.

Really?, Like seriously? Four days after, I can't believe this just happened.

John 11:20 MSG

Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.

While Martha ran to meet Jesus, Mary, who by this time was unenthusiastic, sat still.

She believed nothing could be done now. "Lord, it's too late, there is no use..."

Anyways, Martha still had some hope left. She had hopes that her brother would be with the Lord in paradise 

John 11:21 MSG
Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

John 11:22 
Even now, I know that whatever you ask God He will give you."

At this point, Martha & Jesus were saying and meaning different things.

While Jesus was saying in V23

John 11:23 Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."

Martha was saying
John 11:24 Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in d resurrection at the end of time."

Jesus had to come down to her level.

He had to put things in perspective

John 11:25 MSG

"You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.

The Lord is saying to you now, you don't

have to wait that long to have all you need. I make things happen.

When it appears God is coming late, it is only for the name of God to be glorified. Only for the divine to operate.

God says to tell you

Zechariah 2:10 MSG

 "Shout and celebrate, Daughter of Zion! I'm on my

way. I'm moving into your neighborhood!" God's Decree.

What He will do when He finally shows up, will make all your troubles look like old fade photographs, in Jesus name 

Job 11:16 MSG
 You'll forget your troubles; they'll be like old, faded photographs.

To be Cont'd

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