God Allows Delays That We May Believe on Him

"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him." (John 11:15)

Do we really believe that He holds everything together in our lives?

Or when things get really tough, are we going to fall back into panicking, fretting, and then trying to fix and micromanage our circumstances?

Will we run to Jesus our High Priest forever in our time of need? Or do we continue to trust in our own efforts?

It's essential for us to take God at His Word, not to take God at His Word when circumstances are lining up our way, too.

John 11 is a quintessential account to show us how God uses delays.

Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, was sick.

It was clear that He loved them, and Jesus loved them enough that he waited two more days before going to visit them again.

Why did Jesus wait?

"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." (John 11:4)

Jesus did not come to help us in the midst of our up and coming troubles only.

He came that we would believe on Him, that we would see the never-ending glory of His Father!

A number of times throughout the 11th chapter in the Gospel of John, Jesus cites how He wants His followers to believe on Him:

"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him." (John 11:15)

We need to believe that Jesus is not just the Lord of the storms. He is not just the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and He is not just the Word made Flesh.

He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

Are you facing a dead situation in your life? Does the current circumstances in your way seem to suggest that there is no hope for your situation?

You need to see Jesus as not just a provider and protector, but as The Resurrection and the Life!

God allows these delays that we may believe on Him for all things, to see Him as everything that we need:

"25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." (John 11:25-27)

The word "believe" appears four times in the above passage. Faith means a lot to God, and He wants us to believe on His Son!

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:29)

When Martha resists removing the stone on her brother Lazarus' grave, Jesus responds:

"40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (John 11:40)

Then in His prayer, Jesus says:

"42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me."

The crowds, the public, the news agents of Jesus' day already knew that Jesus could heal people from their sicknesses and diseases.

But was He really God? Could he really overcome death? 

Yes, He is, and yes He did.

And many others believed on Him, too:

"Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." (John 11:45)

God is not just interested in our temporary peace and prosperity.

He wants us to rest in Him in the face of any, of all setbacks, hardships, tragedies, difficulties.

He wants us to depend on Him for everything, for He is our life (Colossians 3:4)