His silence and our occasion
"When Jesus got the message, He said, "This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed on where He was for two more days."
John 11:4-6 The Message
"Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that?" Oswald Chambers
I love to read Oswald Chamber's devotional "My Utmost For His Highest" each morning. This man would have been something else to get to know. He seems to have the ability to take something I would overlook in the Scriptures and draw out thoughts and give understanding to things I have previously not seen.
I think every kid who has ever attended Sunday School on a regular basis knows the story of Lazarus, but until today and the new outlook the Holy Spirit has given me... I have never seen this story apply to me directly.
First please forgive me for my "aha" moment if you have already had yours in regards to the story of Lazarus. :-)
Second please know that there is no one within our close family unit that is severely ill!!
God is completely sovereign. I know it more and more and more each day when I feel less and less and less and less in control of my life. (Not outta control... just not in control.) I love how this passage so clearly allows me to see the sovereignty of God. In this situation it is non-mistakable. Jesus knew EXACTLY what was gonna happen. Yet He did not act until the time was right. Instead He gave His silence. His absence.
I also love the part of this passage that talks about how Jesus loved Lazarus and his family. He knew that He was able to stop what was gonna happen - death - but because this was "an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son" He allowed it to happen. Through His great love for this family and His sovereignty - God was brought great glory!!
The third and most amazing part to me is the amount of time that passed (my life is all about waiting at this point). I have sat here and tried to imagine the grief, despair and anguish the family had to have experienced. They knew that Lazarus was sick and dying. They knew that Jesus could heal him. Can you imagine the hurt they felt? The disappointment they experienced? It gives me chills to think about what those silent days would have been like...
"When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead." verse 17
Four days dead. Four days! Four days = an occasion for God to be glorified.
Six months ago I thought that we would be living and working in Papua New Guinea right now. Instead we are here in South Carolina. Our "occasion" looks a little different from Lazarus'. But the end result and the process is the same. God is sovereign. He is able to make anything happen. He is silently working. He loves us, and knows what is best to bring glory to His Name.
My heart aches to know when our "two days" will end and when and how God will move our partnership team to completion so that we can move to PNG. I have yet to have any inclination by the Holy Spirit to if and when He will reveal this to me... so for now I continue to wait and rest in His love and sovereignty - holding tight to His precious Word that brings light and comfort with each new day that passes. Even when the days hold His silence I am honored that He knows that I can trust Him.
John 11:4-6 The Message
"Has God trusted you with His silence— a silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers. Just think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything comparable to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that?" Oswald Chambers
I love to read Oswald Chamber's devotional "My Utmost For His Highest" each morning. This man would have been something else to get to know. He seems to have the ability to take something I would overlook in the Scriptures and draw out thoughts and give understanding to things I have previously not seen.
I think every kid who has ever attended Sunday School on a regular basis knows the story of Lazarus, but until today and the new outlook the Holy Spirit has given me... I have never seen this story apply to me directly.
First please forgive me for my "aha" moment if you have already had yours in regards to the story of Lazarus. :-)
Second please know that there is no one within our close family unit that is severely ill!!
God is completely sovereign. I know it more and more and more each day when I feel less and less and less and less in control of my life. (Not outta control... just not in control.) I love how this passage so clearly allows me to see the sovereignty of God. In this situation it is non-mistakable. Jesus knew EXACTLY what was gonna happen. Yet He did not act until the time was right. Instead He gave His silence. His absence.
I also love the part of this passage that talks about how Jesus loved Lazarus and his family. He knew that He was able to stop what was gonna happen - death - but because this was "an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son" He allowed it to happen. Through His great love for this family and His sovereignty - God was brought great glory!!
The third and most amazing part to me is the amount of time that passed (my life is all about waiting at this point). I have sat here and tried to imagine the grief, despair and anguish the family had to have experienced. They knew that Lazarus was sick and dying. They knew that Jesus could heal him. Can you imagine the hurt they felt? The disappointment they experienced? It gives me chills to think about what those silent days would have been like...
"When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead." verse 17
Four days dead. Four days! Four days = an occasion for God to be glorified.
Six months ago I thought that we would be living and working in Papua New Guinea right now. Instead we are here in South Carolina. Our "occasion" looks a little different from Lazarus'. But the end result and the process is the same. God is sovereign. He is able to make anything happen. He is silently working. He loves us, and knows what is best to bring glory to His Name.
My heart aches to know when our "two days" will end and when and how God will move our partnership team to completion so that we can move to PNG. I have yet to have any inclination by the Holy Spirit to if and when He will reveal this to me... so for now I continue to wait and rest in His love and sovereignty - holding tight to His precious Word that brings light and comfort with each new day that passes. Even when the days hold His silence I am honored that He knows that I can trust Him.
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