We are halfway there Fasting Family so let's take a look on Day 11 at John chapter 11. Let me set the stage with a story. There’s a story about the only survivor of a shipwreck. He washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed to be coming. He eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after searching for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst has happened: everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger: “God!!! How could you do this to me!” Early the next say he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. “How did you know I was here?” the weary man asked his rescuers. They replied, “We saw your smoke signal.”
God may sometimes work in ways don’t understand-- but he still works.
When it comes to God’s answering our prayers, it often seems that if we do not hear the answer we want to hear, we conclude that it was no answer at all. I believe there are times that we tend to think that God is the One with the hearing problem, when it turns out to be that we are the ones with the hearing problem.
Why does God allow us to experience delays in answers to our prayers?
Do we not understand there are some divine reasons why our prayers are delayed? God is often doing something to build our lives and to bring about a blessing to us and others in the delay. Through delayed answers or even unanswered prayer God often grows us!
In John 11:1-3 we see: Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and his sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, who brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him [Jesus] saying, Lord, he who you love is ill.”
1. There was no problem with their devotion. (11:1-3)
2. There was no problem with their desire. (11:3)
3. There was no problem with their dependence (11:3)
But here’s where the story gets challenging for many readers. Verses 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and his sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, HE STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER in the place where he was.
Have your ever wondered why Jesus didn’t jump up to make his way back to Bethany. As I shared earlier there was nothing wrong with their devotion, desire or dependence, so why does Jesus delay His answer to the prayer of Mary and Martha?
1. Jesus delays His answer to prayer for Lazarus to EDUCATION (11:15)
2. Jesus delays His answer to prayer for Lazarus to ESTABLISH Doctrine (11:22-27)
3. Jesus delays His answer to prayer for Lazarus to Expand Witness (11:45;12:2-3; 9,11)
4. Jesus delays His answer to prayer for Lazarus to EXHIBIT His Glory (11:4)
Here’s my closing thought: Two young boys were spending the night at their grandparents’ house. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers. The youngest one began praying at the top of his lungs, "I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE. I PRAY FOR A NEW NINTENDO. I PRAY FOR A NEW VCR..."His older brother leaned over and nudged the younger brother and said, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn’t deaf." To which the little brother replied, "No, but Grandma is!"
Often times, when we pray, we may wonder if God is deaf because we do not receive and or the answer we desired. However, God is not deaf! How perfect are the ways of God! If Martha and Mary would have had their prayer granted, not only would they (and Lazarus too) have been denied a far greater blessing, but the disciples would have missed that which must have strengthened their faith.
Christ would have been deprived of this opportunity, which allowed Him to give the mightiest display of His omnipotent power that He ever made prior to His own death; and the whole Church as well would have been the loser!
11:4 This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.
God knows what He is doing; let us learn to trust Him. See you on Day 12!
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