But Even Now!
John 11:17-23
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[a] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
I am currently in a Bible Study on the book of John and wow, what a powerful book it is! This week as I was reading chapter 11 on the death of Lazarus, I came across something that really caught my attention. It was when Martha was speaking to Jesus in verse 22-23 and said to Him, “But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Though I have read the book of John several times, this passage hit me differently this time. One of the many things that I love about the Word of God is that no matter how many times you read it, it is always fresh, alive and active.
When I read the words “But even now” it meant to me, no matter the circumstance, no matter the hour, my God is still able. We serve a God who is not restrained by time or circumstances. He sits outside of time and He can give life even to the dead if He so desires. For Martha to say this to Jesus, it meant she truly believed that God could do absolutely anything.
My question for you today is where is your faith on the Belief Meter? Do you believe that God can do absolutely anything? Can you say without hesitation, but even now, and truly mean it? If your answer is no or I am not sure, I want to encourage you to pray and ask God to bless you with a, but even now type of unwavering faith. Trust that His promises are true. The same God that raised Lazarus from the dead now resides inside each of us. We have no need to doubt or fear, because not only is He with us, He is also for us.
John 11:38-44
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
