Jesus I AmSample

Lord, if you had been here _____.

How often is this our go-to phrase, "God if you would have just shown up, if you would have just fixed this situation, if you would have just healed my mom from cancer, if you would have shown up in that job interview, if you would have given me a child, then I would have everything I need. God, you should have been here. Where were you?"

Have you ever had to fight this battle? This questioning of “why God” doesn’t seem to show up in certain times but does in others?

If God showed up in the exact way we wanted Him to every single time, we would miss the miracle. We want things now. God wants us forever. Mary and Martha find themselves in a similar situation; they are desperate for Jesus to show up immediately. Which, don’t get me wrong, oftentimes He does. But what about in the waiting period? What are we to do? 

More than He is concerned with our temporary, momentary situations, God wants to heal our hearts so we can be with Him for all eternity. 

What if Jesus would have gone to heal Lazarus immediately instead of waiting two days? Lazarus probably wouldn’t have been dead. Jesus used this as a time to display God’s glory. He used this as an opportunity to convey His character - that He is a resurrecting King! Jesus has the power to raise dead things to life.