God Knows Best (John 11:40)
“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40)
This may seem like a silly question: Have you ever made plans to take a trip or spend time with friends, but things didn’t turn out quite as you expected? I can think of several times in my life where I had things planned out, but God had something different for me — Something better. Specifically, I was overjoyed with the birth of our son back in 2009, even though he was born a month early. I was just finishing up my master’s degree, and it seemed like life was perfect, but then it happened: My life took a completely different turn. My wife began suffering from postpartum psychosis, and turned into a completely different person. She was afraid of everything and kept spouting off nonsense. What was I going to do?
Thankfully, through the support of family, friends, and the church, we made it through that period of our lives. At first, we were wondering why God had allowed us to go through such a difficult situation. Some people told us it was because of sin in our lives, and that was so hard to hear. When you go through hard times, that doesn’t always mean that you have sin in your life. God may take you through this hard journey so you can minister to someone later on. Some people told us that they understood because they had experienced a similar situation. We found out through sharing our story that several people had suffered as we had. They were encouraged because they had felt so alone. They did not share their story for fear of being ridiculed or being told that they were suffering because of sin in their life. While we never wish to experience those events in 2009 again, we can now see how God used it for good.
In John 11, Jesus was told that his friend Lazarus was sick and about to die. He then waited for 2 more days before going to see him. By the time Jesus came to Lazarus, he had already been dead for 4 days. Why would Jesus do that? If He loved Mary and Martha (Lazarus’ sisters), why would he put them through so much pain when He could have easily healed Lazarus before it was too late? The thing is, it wasn’t too late. Jesus went to the tomb and told Martha she would see the glory of God if she believed. She had people remove the stone covering the tomb, and then Jesus cried out to Lazarus to come out, and he did!
I can just imagine the looks on their faces when they saw Lazarus walk out still wrapped up in linen strips. Sometimes, God allows us to go through difficult times so that we can see how powerful He really is. Whether we know His plan or not, God wants us to follow Him. Children don’t always understand why their parents tell them not to touch the hot stove or play in the street, or even to eat their vegetables. Is it because their parents are trying to keep their children from having fun and enjoying life? No, it’s the exact opposite! Parents make those decisions to keep their children safe and healthy. God cares for us in a similar way. He allows us to go through difficult times to help us grow, to help others, and to rely on Him for strength.
So, the next time your life seems to turn upside down, remember that God still loves you and wants what is best for you. Just because you don’t know the why doesn’t mean He doesn’t care. Remember, just like parents know better than their children, so God knows better than you. Trust Him.
– Pastor David Guenin