Faith that Sees

This week we’re going to wrap up our study of the Lazarus miracle.  But before we do, carefully read or re-read the verse at the top.  How do these words speak to you?  Take a moment to ponder them…

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to Martha who was questioning His instructions to open up the tomb of her dead brother.  Throughout the gospel of John we find the word believe, which is generally used regarding belief in Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior and that He is God.  But what about this instance?  Was Martha doubting Jesus’ divinity?  No!  Ten verses earlier she declared Him to be “the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”  So then, why was Jesus chastising her for her unbelief?  Let’s answer that by putting ourselves in Martha’s place.

As born again Christians, we all believe that Jesus walked the earth over two thousand years ago, fully man and fully God.  And that He did miraculous signs and wonders before fulfilling the divine plan of taking our punishment for sin upon Himself and dying a cruel death on a wooden cross.  We also believe that after three days, our Savior rose victorious from the grave and later, having completed His work, He returned to the Father.  All these things we fervently believe, however, do we have the faith, or belief, that God can still do miracles?  Or do we relegate those things to the past, when Jesus walked the earth or when the apostles planted the church?  Do we truly believe and have faith that can move mountains?  Or are we like Martha, who believed that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, but didn’t have the faith to unquestioningly follow Jesus’ instructions?   Jesus reminded her that if she believed she would see the glory of God.  In other words, the only thing standing between her and revelation of God’s glory was her own lack of faith.

So the question for you is….how many times does YOUR unbelief keep you from beholding the glory of God?  Do YOU believe, not just in your head but in your heart, that nothing is impossible with God?  And if you do, are YOU living your life in such a way as to allow God to reveal His glory to you?

God wants us to know Him more, the One who created us and knows us inside and out, also wants us to become intimately familiar with all His ways.  Our Father is waiting and desiring to show us His glory and blow us away with His power, beauty, and greatness.  We just need to believe that He can and let Him go about His work in our lives and in the world around us without questioning His reasons, ways, or means.  As the old hymn says, our God moves in mysterious ways, and though we sometimes may be baffled by His method, we will always be amazed and awestruck at His work.

So grow your faith in the One who made cripples leap, blind men see, and dead men sing, and wait and see how God will test that faith and stretch it as you walk in the footsteps of Christ.  May the Lord continue His wondrous work in you as He shapes and molds you further into His image!

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
~John 11:25-26