HEAVENLY INSTRUCTIONS
26th Jun 2019
The raising of Lazarus is recorded in John chapter 11, where it tells us that on hearing Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed where he was, and to the surprise of the disciples simply made the statement “This sickness will not end in death.” He did nothing, He waited for two days before telling them more specifically, “Lazarus is dead and I am going to wake him up!”
One could surmise the disciples hadn’t been unduly anxious or sad, but now they were told, “For your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Jesus had fully understood that Lazarus was extremely ill, but He had the knowledge that Father God was going to use this situation to glorify Him and to cause the disciples to believe.
Jesus needed two days to find out what His Father was saying about the situation. He was waiting for specific instructions and assurance. Had He gone earlier to Bethany, the grief, shock, despair, and the grieving people would have made it almost impossible to hear from heaven.
Upon arrival He tells a distraught Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” She interprets this as a statement of belief for the future, but is not expecting it for the present. Jesus had to hold on the what He had heard from the Father in the face of the reality of death. He wept, seeing the suffering of the sisters and there must have been a battle of faith going on. God has said this, but He is in the middle of another human reality.
However, Jesus acts on heavenly instructions, He commands the gravestone to be removed even as Martha questions this action saying he’s been there 4 days and will be stinking. His response reiterates His original statement, “If you believe you will see the glory of God.”
The stone is removed, Jesus prays for the benefit of those watching, and following heavenly instructions, He calls in a loud voice, for Lazarus to come out, and he does. What a magnificent moment! Joy, life, amazement, wonder. Jesus is glorified and the disciples believe He is the Son of God.
I long for us to hear the voice of God in every situation we face, and to hear so clearly that we know what to say, how to say it, and the timing. We will still, like Jesus, have to hold our ground of faith, resist unbelief and human pressure. But if we have truly heard from heaven we shall see our God do the impossible.
by Joyce Sibthorpe
