In John 11, we read about Jesus’ friend Lazarus, who became very sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, letting Him know “Lord, your dear friend is sick.” (v.3). When Jesus received the message, He didn’t leave to go to Lazarus’s home for two days. By the time He arrived in the town of Bethany where they lived, Lazarus had died and been in the grave for four days.
Martha saw Jesus first, and she said, “Lord, if only you had been here…” (v.21)
Later when Mary saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here…” (v.32)
How many of us have a similar response in our brokenness?
Lord, if only
… she didn’t get cancer.
… he didn’t cheat.
… I didn’t lose the job.
… I could get pregnant.
… we weren’t so financially strained.
… my son would come home.
… the marriage hadn’t ended.
… my reputation was cleared.
Lord, if only You had come through for me.
We can get so caught up in dwelling on the if only’s and perhaps miss out on where our help and comfort come from. God’s timing is always intentional. His purpose and His love are bigger than we can see. His methods are always to bring maximum glory to himself. God operates differently than we do and that in itself can be so painful when we don’t understand what He’s up to.
Even though Jesus knew how the situation would end with Lazarus – He would raise Lazarus from the dead for the glory of God to be made known (v. 42-44) – Jesus never dismissed the pain and grief of those mourning. But rather, He felt the pain and grief with them.
“Jesus wept.” (v.35)
Jesus weeps when we’re in pain too. He knows our grief, our fears, and what’s rooted deeply in us that we’re suffering from. He grieves in our pain because He knows the will of His Father and that death and sickness were never His intention. He understands why if only’s are on the tips of our tongues and He knows that we don’t see things as He sees. We are often looking for natural outcomes and solutions to spiritual battles and problems.
In the midst of the if only’s, we can know that Jesus meets us in our heartache. We can know that it hurts His heart to see those He loves, suffering. We can know that the same Spirit of Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead lives inside us and we can trust Him even in our pain.
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