Time Peace...

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Andy shared from the eleventh and twelfth chapters of John. Today, I’d like us to reflect on something that our pastor shared (paraphrased here): Jesus is not compelled to honor our idea of “timeline”.

As we read John 11 and 12, we notice a theme that threads through the account of Lazarus’s sickness and the account of the crowd witnessing Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem. It may be your theme as well. It is a theme that pleads, “Jesus, do something now!”

In John 11, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus of Lazarus’s illness, believing that Jesus would come and heal him right away. Their disappointment at Jesus's delay was expressed in a simple sentence: “Lord, if You had been here, our brother would not have died.” (John 11:21; John 11:32)

In John 12, the crowd shouted for Jesus to save them. Our pastor noted that the crowd was expecting Jesus to rescue the Jewish people from the political oppression they experienced. Their disappointment at Jesus's delay was also expressed in a sentence: “Give us Barrabas!” (see John 18:36-40)

Though Mary, Martha, and the crowd longed for Jesus to respond to their sense of urgency, Jesus instead showed that His power to heal and deliver was not bound to man’s sense of time. As Pastor Andy noted, Jesus has the ability to change situations that seem hopeless. Mary and Martha experienced the joy of having their brother brought back to life. The crowd was given the offer of a spiritual rescue through eternal life in Christ, a deliverance far more valuable than a short-term respite from Roman tyranny.

Are you in an urgent situation? Are you wondering why Jesus is taking so long to respond to your prayer? Do you think that it's too late for God to act on your behalf? Be encouraged. We serve a God who stands outside of time, whose timing is perfect, and who knows what is best. Trust Him today.

Lord Jesus, give us grace to trust Your timing.

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.