Alive In ChristНамуна

 Do You Believe This

Jesus calls us by name, and if we choose to believe that He is who He says He is, then we’ll see His resurrection power in our own lives. We see this happen with His beloved friend Martha. Around verse 17, Lazarus, Martha’s brother, was already dead. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close family friends with Jesus, and they had sent word to Jesus four days prior that Lazarus was sick. They had waited, expecting Jesus to hurry home and heal him. They knew that He could, but Jesus hadn’t come. The women were beside themselves with grief and frustration.  

Have you ever been there? Waiting on God in a seemingly hopeless situation? I know I have. So, I can relate to how Martha responded when Jesus showed up four days later: She ran out to meet Him on the road, wondering where He had been. She openly told Jesus her feelings and frustrations: “Lord, Martha said, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She was close enough with Jesus to shoot him straight. She didn’t hide her disappointment, and I find this refreshing. Jesus knows how we feel, so we don’t have to cover our feelings. He wants us to come to Him—even run to Him—and tell him what we are really thinking. We can be vulnerable with Jesus.

However, Martha didn’t end the sentence there. She went on to say, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Don’t miss this: Martha showed great faith, even in her confusion. There is a lesson for us here. She made a decision to trust Jesus even when she didn’t understand, and Jesus blessed her for her faith. Jesus reveals a new truth to her. In the NLT translation, He goes on to tell her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” 

I love how He calls her by name, personalizing this revolutionary statement to her. He’s asking her if she believes that He has resurrection power. He’s asking her if she believes that He is God. She acknowledges who He is and answers, “Yes, Lord; I have always believed that you are the Messiah, the son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 

The story wasn’t over. Jesus went on to raise Lazarus from death, but before the miracle, we see Martha’s living faith. Whatever the outcome, she chose to believe that Jesus is God and she chose to trust Him. 

Like Martha, when we choose to have faith in God and believe that He is who He says He is, we see His resurrection power in our lives. Do you believe this?