Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s look at the Great Physician’s personalized response to our grief.

Today’s scripture, John 11:20‭-‬27 (NLT)
shares…
When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” “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.”

Consider…
Most believers are familiar with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But when I read it again, to share today, I saw personalized responses to two sisters who expressed the same disappointment about Jesus letting their brother die.

Jesus’ first response was to Martha, who expressed faith in the midst of her disappointment. Look at her words…
“Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Did you know that disappointment and faith can coexist? We won’t, and don’t always get what we want. It’s unpopular to admit that sometimes God says no or not now. Recall, the sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was gravely ill, and Jesus stayed where He was. (John 11:3-6)

This is a good reminder that when you cry out to God, His timing and ways are not dictated by us. God will do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants. (Isaiah 55:9)

Although God is Sovereign, His response to our disappointment in the midst of faith is full of grace. He responds to Martha’s distress with words akin to, “let me tell you the rest”. His exact response was, “Your brother will rise again.”

Hearing this, Martha offered a doubting affirmation. She agreed that in accordance to their beliefs, her brother would rise with everyone else on the last day. That’s when the Great Physician gave Martha the wonderful news. Jesus said in essence, “I am the cure for death”. Then Jesus spoke peace to the storm of grief that was tossing His beloved believer. He said…
Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.

The Apostle Paul echoes Jesus’ affirming hope in 1 Thessalonians 4:15‭-‬18 (NLT)…
We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

When Jesus sees that we are torn between disappointed doubt, because He didn’t, and full faith, because He’s able, His response to us is simply to “keep believing.” However, he doesn’t want us to believe in the outcome of our circumstances. He wants us to believe in Him.

Today for those gripped with grief, the Holy Spirit also wants to encourage you to notice that the first three fruit of the Spirit are: love, joy and peace.

He’s reminding us in our grief to…

• Lean on God’s Love
• Join in His Joy, which stems from the blessed assurance that we will never die.
• And rest in His perfect peace, by keeping our minds stayed on Him.

Having her failing hope restored, a strengthened Martha returned to her sister. John 11:28‭-‬44 (NLT) continues…
Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” So Mary immediately went to him. Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 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. 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.” 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. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. “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.” Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 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.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

I shared the entire passage, because it shows how Jesus personalizes His care for each of us, unconditionally, understandingly, and individually.

Remember, Martha expressed disappointment and faith, however Mary expressed disappointment and worship. Look at the contrast of how the two sisters met Jesus…

• Martha met Jesus and said I am disappointed but I still believe anything is possible with You
• Mary met Jesus and fell at His feet, and said Lord I am disappointed and hurting.

The Holy Spirit is telling us that in our time of grief, the most important thing we must do is go to Jesus. Whether full of faith or heartbroken worship, what matters most is that we meet our Loving Lord in the midst of our pain.

Something that stood out to me, that I never paid attention to before was when Jesus wept. Look at the shortest verse in scripture in context…
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. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept.

Notice…

• He saw Mary crying
• He got angry
• He was troubled
• He went to deaths door

In my sanctified imagination, Jesus was simulcasting His love and empathy for the loved ones of Lazarus, with what He knew He would personally experience on His journey to Calvary. He knew…

• His mother Mary would be crying
• He would become angry over the crooks in the church (Mark 11:15-17)
• His soul would be deeply distressed in Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-36)
• And He would die an excruciating and devastating death (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Often we too grieve with others, and remember our personal grief. The tears that stream from our eyes easily empathizes with the brokenhearted, because we remember when our hearts have been broken. Romans 12:15 (NLT) exhorts to commiserate with others. It says…
Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.

That’s what Christ did by wrapping Himself in flesh and going through everything we go through. Christ still compassionately commiserates with us. Always remember, no matter what you’re going through, Jesus knows and cares because He went through it too.

In fact, Jesus felt abandoned by God for a moment too. Remember Him saying…
…“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

• Matthew 27:46 NLT

God understands our disappointment, which is why He wants us to meet with Jesus in our grief. Isaiah called Him a Wonderful Counselor and the Prince of Peace.

Of course we know the Lazarus story had a momentary happy ending, with Lazarus being raised from the dead. But may I encourage you with the fact we’re promised an eternally happy ending to our story. 1 Corinthians 15:51‭-‬55 (NLT) declares…
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

So you see, it’s in death that the Great Physician ultimately heals, but in the meantime He knows and understands how everyone of us feels, when we’re disappointed by what/who He allows to die in our lives.

The Great Physician is waiting to meet with you in your grief, so that He can heal your unbelief.

Hopefully one of things you’ve learned or confirmed in today’s post is that when you’re heartbroken, the Great Physician knows and cares. And because He felt what you feel, He is compassionately concerned about you.

My final encouragement is to follow the examples of the disappointed sisters we read about today. They…

• Went to meet Jesus
• Confessed their disappointment to Him
• Had Faith…”But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask”
• And Worshipped…When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet

In your grief, fall at the feet of Jesus, confess your disappointment to Him, and express your faith in Him. He’ll respond personally just the way you need Him to. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Today’s song is…
He’s Concerned

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)