Signs & WondersSample

God's Working in Our Waiting

Have you ever prayed for something and it seems like God has yet to answer? Maybe you have spent years praying for family members to trust in Christ. Maybe you are waiting to see God move in difficult and challenging circumstances. Or maybe you have endured a long period of suffering and wondering when it will end. Where is God in the waiting and why does He seem to delay?

In John 11, Jesus’ friends, Mary and Martha, send word to Him that their brother Lazarus is sick. Instead of going immediately to heal him, Jesus waits until Lazarus has been dead for 4 days to visit his family. Mary and Martha meet with Jesus and honestly express their grief by saying to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.” Jesus responds to Martha by pointing her to a greater spiritual truth and to Mary by weeping with her. But that is not the end. Jesus then visits the tomb of Lazarus and displays the power and glory of God by bringing Lazarus back to life. Their tears were replaced with inexpressible joy!

Sometimes it can feel as if God does not care to enter into our brokenness, doesn’t see us in our pain, or doesn’t answer when we call. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus gives us a glimpse into how God is at work even in our waiting. In this story, we see how Jesus’ waiting to bring Lazarus back to life 1) allows for people to grow in their belief in who He is, 2) gives them an opportunity to understand deeper spiritual truths about Him, 3) provides them moments to come in closer contact with His character, and 4) ultimately allows them to see God’s glory and power displayed. His purpose and perspective is so much greater than ours! In our waiting, God gives us an opportunity to grow in patience so that we can better know and rest in His presence and experience His power. 

Questions to Ask Yourself 

1. Is your current difficult situation giving others the opportunity to see and believe who Jesus is?  
2. What deeper truths is God trying to reveal to you in your waiting? Who does He say He is?  
3. What aspects of God’s character can you cling to and know more deeply because of your circumstances? 

What’s Next?  

1. Ask God how His glory and power can be more evidently displayed in what you are going through.  
2. Keep a prayer journal and put the date next to prayers. Circle back around and write when God answers those prayers.