John 11:39-40 (NIV) “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

When Jesus was told that Lazarus was sick, he waited two days before starting to make His way to Bethany where Lazarus lived. At that time, he told the disciples that this was intended for God’s glory. They didn’t understand what He meant at the time. When Jesus and the disciples finally got to Bethany, they learned that Lazarus had died. Martha (Lazarus' sister) went out to meet Him, but Mary (Lazarus' other sister) stayed back at the house, probably because she was hurt that Jesus had not come immediately. Martha told Jesus that if He had been there, her brother would not have died. Then Jesus asked for Mary. When Mary was told that Jesus asked for her, she went to Jesus and said the same thing that Martha had said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

We, like Martha and Mary, always want Jesus to show up immediately to rescue us from what ails us. If He doesn’t show up immediately, we get disappointed. But Jesus wants to give us so much more than just temporary relief from our circumstances. He wants us to see God’s glory. The reason He wanted Martha, Mary and everyone else to see His glory was for the greater good of all who would witness the miracle that was about to happen. When Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away from the tomb, Martha spoke out to tell Jesus that there would be a bad odor because it had already been four days since Lazarus had died. That’s when Jesus reminded her of what He had said: “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it not only confirmed that He was God in the flesh, but Martha’s and Mary’s faith must have skyrocketed. In addition to that, many people who witnessed that amazing miracle believed in Jesus that day.

The next time trouble comes your way or circumstances get difficult in your life, go ahead and tell Jesus about it for sure, but then allow Him to work in your trouble and your circumstances the way that He deems fit because He wants you to experience the glory of God. When you see His glory, you will see that His glory in your life far outweighs all of your “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 4:17). The Lord always knows exactly what He is doing, knows what will be best for you and always aims for making you more sure and steady in your faith so that as life continues to come at you, you will always be able to stand and not be moved. In addition to that, many people will see the glory of God working in your life and will be encouraged by it while others who don’t know Jesus will have an opportunity to see how Jesus works gloriously in the life of someone that belongs to Him. Perhaps they will surrender their lives to Jesus as well and have the opportunity to see the glory of God personally. All of this is to the glory of God!

Pastor Joey Vazquez