{"id":2766,"date":"2018-06-12T15:44:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T20:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nltblog.com\/?p=2766"},"modified":"2021-12-08T09:22:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:22:41","slug":"lazaruss-urgent-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmu3.northcentralus.cloudapp.azure.com\/nlt\/2018\/06\/12\/lazaruss-urgent-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazarus’s Urgent Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

When facing difficult circumstances it can be hard to understand “why.” Chris Tiegreen in the\u00a0Dancing in the Desert Devotional Bible\u00a0<\/em>uses the story of Lazarus to give us insight into how and why we can trust even when it seems hopeless.<\/p>\n

Dancing in the Desert Devotional Bible<\/em><\/p>\n

“But when Jesus heard about it he said, ‘Lazarus\u2019s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.'” John 11:4, NLT<\/span><\/p>\n

Lazarus was a \u201cdear friend\u201d of Jesus, as were his sisters, Mary and Martha. So when the sisters sent a message to Jesus that their brother was near death, it would have seemed natural for Jesus, the healer, to hurry to Bethany to see him. Yet Jesus remained where he was, across the Jordan, at least a day\u2019s walk from Lazarus. And he assured his followers that Lazarus\u2019s sickness would not end in death.<\/p>\n

$\"Man-looking-out\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 delay seemed inexplicable when he arrived after Lazarus had died. He had spoken with assurance about the situation yet showed up too late.
\nAs implied by Martha\u2019s piercing statement\u2014\u201cIf only you had been here, my brother would not have died\u201d (11:21)\u2014 the sisters must have wondered if he really cared. And the disciples must have wondered if he had tragically miscalculated the situation. Apparently, Lazarus\u2019s sickness really did end in death.<\/p>\n

But Jesus never said Lazarus wouldn\u2019t die. He simply said this was not how the story would end. His sense of urgency was far different than theirs, just as God\u2019s deliberate work in our prayers and problems violates our sense of urgency. God sees the end of the crisis even while we\u2019re stressed about it.<\/p>\n

And he often has a solution we would never dare to imagine.<\/p>\n

$\"kristine-weilert-88989-unsplash\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Jesus deliberately demonstrated a truth that answers many of the \u201cwhys\u201d we utter in our crises: that problems and pain become a platform for his glory. We would never know many of God\u2019s most beautiful attributes otherwise. We\u2019d never know him as healer without a sickness, as deliverer without a captivity, as forgiver without some sin as the backdrop. That doesn\u2019t mean he creates these evils, but he certainly utilizes them. When our \u201cwhy did this happen?\u201d turns into \u201chow do you want to show yourself in it?\u201d he reveals himself in greater glory.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the\u00a0 Dancing in the Desert Devotional Bible.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"