I was nourished from our pastor's sermon this Sunday. I say
nourished because it is exactly what I needed for my spiritual hunger. And I didn't even know it.
He gave us the story of Lazarus. But what I got from it really has nothing to do with raising people from the dead! Strangely, nor was it about miracles. It was about
God's perfect timing. When Jesus was here on earth, He had a set amount of time to do everything God wanted Him to do. No one could hurry Him up, and no one could give Him precaution to slow it down. How this ties in with Lazarus, was the amount of time Jesus waited before He went to see the family. L's sisters said, "If you would have been here, our brother would not have died." The disciples said, "He's dead already. Why are we going to see him now?" But unlike us, the Son of God had perfect timing. He knew having to go through the grief of losing a brother would strengthen the faith of those who loved Him
even more. However,
Jesus was not callous, but calculated. Those who believed in Jesus needed to go through this hard time because soon, He too would be killed, dead for three days, and be raised again. They needed enduring faith to believe all would be well. Also, He waited that long because He wanted this miracle of Lazarus to be unlike the other people he raised from the dead
that same day. Jesus had it all under control. He didn't raise Lazarus out of regret. He had a plan and a certain amount of time to accomplish the Father's will.
This concept of God's perfect timing reall sunk in. Why am I so impatient to get on with the next thing the Lord has for me? Why do I hurry up life? God sees the big picture. And for those who follow Him, all our days, minutes, hours, He has control over. He knows when things need to take place. If we struggle against Him, He's got to add more pressure to the clay to get all the impurities and misformations out. He's gentle, but persistent.
I need to
embrace what God has for me, not fight it. And no, my life will not look another person's. Why? Because my life is unique to God's timeline. It's all part of His plan. And He loves us like no one else
ever could. At the same time we think we're being kept from something, we're being kept for something.
"Nevertheless, I am continually with you, you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
