WHY DOES JESUS DELAY WHEN YOU NEED HIM THE MOST?

Why does Jesus delay when you need Him the most? Has this question ever crossed your mind? The story of Lazarus is one that as Christians, we have talked about and can relate to, to some extent. There is so much we can unpack from it and today I want us to look at some lessons we can learn from this story. But before we do that, I would like to ask you some questions. Are you in a season where you feel like the only constant in your life is delay and stagnation?

Have you been trying to push past your limitations to no avail? Maybe you have been waiting for your promise for a long time and it seems like it will never be. Or maybe what you were waiting for did not come to fruition. And now you are finding it hard to move past the disappointments. Have you been waiting for Jesus to come through in your life, but He seems to delay? Can you relate to any of these questions? If you answered yes to any of these, then this word is for you.

In summary, Lazarus was sick and so the sisters sent word to Jesus asking for Him to come because Lazarus- the one whom He loved was sick. Oddly enough, Jesus stayed where He was for 2 more days before making His way to Bethany. This obviously made little sense because why would He wait if He loved Him that much?

Anyway, by the time He got to Bethany, Lazarus was already dead. In fact, he had been dead for 4 days, and obviously, He was stinking. In the natural, there was no way He could resurrect. How would a stinking body come back to life? When He got there Martha ran to Him and told Him that if He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Mary said the same thing. Jesus seeing, the anguish on the sisters’ faces, wept. He asked them to take Him to the tomb where Lazarus was and then He then prayed to God. He then asked them to roll away the stone. Jesus spoke to Lazarus and asked him to come out, which he did and Lazarus came back to life.

The Raising of Lazarus

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. ² This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair.  Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. ³ So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

⁴ But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s 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.” ⁵ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, ⁶ he stayed where he was for the next two days. ⁷ Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

⁸ But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people  in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?” ⁹ Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. ¹⁰ But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” ¹¹ Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

¹² The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” ¹³ They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. ¹⁴ So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.” ¹⁶ Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

¹⁷ When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰ When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” ²⁸ Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” ²⁹ So Mary immediately went to him.

³⁰ Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. ³¹ When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. ³² When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,  and he was deeply troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Then Jesus wept. ³⁶ The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” ³⁷ But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” ³⁸ Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ³⁹ “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

⁴⁰ Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” ⁴¹ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. ⁴² You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here so that they will believe you sent me.” ⁴³ Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Why does Jesus delay when you need Him the most? Lessons to learn from the story of Lazarus.

Why would Jesus wait for 2 more days yet He loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha?

Most of the time as human beings, we measure the love our friends have towards us based on the times they show up when we are in need. And we have seen or heard of friendships breaking up because someone did not show up when the other was in need. So I can only imagine what must have been running through Mary and Martha’s minds when Jesus failed to show up after learning of Lazarus’ sickness.

In fact, the first thing they both told Jesus when they saw Him was that if He had been there, their brother would not have died. Have you ever gone through a loss in your life that made you question God’s presence in your life? I think the problem we have as Christians is assuming that because we have Jesus in our lives; we are immune to trouble.

What we fail to realize is that Jesus did not promise us a trouble-free life. Rather, He promised us peace in the storm. This goes to show you that the presence of a storm in your life does not mean that God has left you. This is actually demonstrated because Jesus wept! Our Saviour, who actually has the power to resurrect, wept! This means that He feels our pain too. He understands what we are feeling.

Jesus was human at some point. He gave up His Godly nature. So He understands the pain and frustration that comes with a delay. Let’s not forget that Jesus’ ministry did not start until He was 30 years old. And the Bible does not even tell us what He was doing during that time. This just goes to say that during that time His ministry must have been hidden. He knows what delay and waiting feel like because He also experienced it. Having said that, the delay is usually for our benefit, and this is evident in the story of Lazarus.

The death of Lazarus had hit Bethany, and obviously, their hearts were softened. Therefore, Jesus knew that the time was ripe and it was all about perfect timing. Had He gone when Lazarus was sick, there would not have been much of a story to tell. And also He would have been killed because the Jews had been looking for Him to kill Him. That is why when He told His disciples that He was going to Bethany, they warned Him of the dangers that would befall Him.

In verse 16 we see Thomas telling the others how they’re going would result in their death as well. Because the people were in mourning, their hearts were softened. Jesus’ focus was on the big picture. Of course, He knew the pain Mary and Martha were going through, but He also saw how His delay would lead more people to God and result in their salvation. Jesus’ delay was intentional.

Your miracle will bring about deliverance and breakthrough to those around you

When God delays in answering your prayer, He has a bigger plan. God will not intentionally allow pain in our lives unless there is an even greater and more powerful comeback story and testimony. Now don’t get me wrong at the time when you are going through this. You will not understand, but as time goes by, it will all make sense. Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and He still cried. So do not feel bad if your present circumstances are wearing you down. Just know that even in your trials, God is present because He has promised to be there and not to abandon you.

God’s delay is intentional, and it usually brings about a powerful testimony that leads more people to Him and brings Him glory. This is seen in verse 35. The Bible tells us that because of the resurrection of Lazarus, there was a turnaround in many of the Jews’ beliefs and they believed in Jesus. The other thing was that it created a tipping point that brought about Jesus going to the cross. And again we know that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, He saved the entire world.

Your miracle is tied to the deliverance and breakthrough of others. When Paul and Silas were in prison, their singing and worship caused God to open the prison doors. The fascinating thing is that it did not happen to them only, but to those around them. Salvation came to the guard and his family because of the deliverance of Paul and Silas. Do not feel bad when it seems that there is a delay in your life. God has something big in store for you and it will not only blow your mind but those around you, too.

Jesus’ delay is so that you can experience Him in a new way

Mary and Martha knew Jesus, as the healer all this time. But it was when their brother was resurrected that they got to see Him as the Resurrection. The beauty of Jesus is that He will never cause pain in your life if it will not result in your good. He says that He works out everything for you and my good.

Jesus will intentionally allow situations that are uncomfortable to happen to you so that in the end you can experience Him in a new way. What delays have you been experiencing in your life? Have you been expecting Him to move in a new way and He hasn’t? One thing you need to know is that God always wants you to experience Him in a fresh way because He takes us from glory to glory. Also, in doing so, He wants your relationship with Him to deepen.

Let me give you a practical example. Let’s say God before has been answering your prayers almost immediately, but now it seems like no matter how many times you pray, your prayers don’t seem to get answered. This could be because God wants to teach you patience and the art of waiting on Him. As we grow in our Christian walk, God takes us through seasons where He wants to mature us through patience and delays. We know that one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is patience. Since God is always refining us as we go through the sanctification process, He will allow uncomfortable situations to refine us and build our trust in Him. Both Mary and Martha went through an uncomfortable and painful ordeal, but in the end, they got to know Jesus afresh.

To increase your intimacy with Jesus

Notice that in this story, the sisters pointed out to Jesus that the one He loved was sick. -2In the village of Bethany, there was a man named Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary was the one who would anoint Jesus’ feet with costly perfume and dry his feet with her long hair. One day Lazarus became very sick to the point of death. 3 So, his sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, our brother Lazarus, the one you love, is very sick. Please come!”(John11:1-2).

This begs the question, could it be that the sisters did not think that Jesus loved them too, and that’s why they were relying on the fact that Jesus loved their brother? The focus has always been on Lazarus, but could it be that Jesus wanted the sisters to experience Him personally for themselves? There are moments when other people’s faith and relationship with Jesus will not help you, and it will require you to have a personal relationship with Him as well. Notice that what led Jesus to resurrect Lazarus was also the anguish in His sisters’ hearts.

Jesus saw the pain in their hearts and compassion arose in Him, and He resurrected Lazarus. Jesus wants to personally tend to your problems. He wants you to know that He loves you so much and wants to see you experience healing and wholeness from your problems. Jesus came for the deliverance of humanity, and that includes you. He does not want you to view yourself as a second-class citizen in His kingdom. He wants you to know that He cares about you too.

Yes, you! You might have come to Him because of someone else’s experiential knowledge of Him. But He wants you to have experiential knowledge as well. He wants you to also experience a personal testimony and know without any doubt that He not only loves you but also sees your pain. He wants to heal you and make you whole. The miracle is not only for Lazarus but for you too.

Maybe you feel like Mary and Martha and don’t think that Jesus sees your pain. Maybe, like them, you have used someone else as leverage for Him to come through for you. Today I want to encourage you by telling you that you matter to Him and as far as He is concerned, your pain is His pain. He wants you to experience Him for yourself and develop a relationship with Him because He is personal.

Conclusion

Today, as you read the story of Lazarus, I want you to look at all the dead areas in your life. What areas do you need God to move in your life? Have you been experiencing delays? If yes, trust in God and know that He wants to do exceedingly, abundantly more than you can ask or imagine. You have to get to the end of yourself before God can take over. There was nothing both Mary and Martha could do but they had trust in God and because of that many people were saved and received deliverance and they received their miracle too. God will never allow pain in your life if He did not have a comeback story for you. Friday’s disappointment is Sunday’s empty tomb. Remember this even when Jesus is 4 days late, He is still on time.