[lead dropcap="yes"]Have you ever been the first one to arrive at a party? You show up, ready to have fun, and it turns out that everyone else is running late. [/lead]It's uncomfortable waiting around for something you were expecting to happen at a certain time. Sometimes, it can feel like God is the one late to the party, and we begin to wonder if he'll ever show up. Waiting on God can be difficult, but it's worth it because when he does show up, he begins to change your life in ways you've never imagined. As a church, we've been on a seven-week journey into the "I am" statements that Jesus makes in the Gospel of John. Through this series, we've learned that Jesus is the bread of life, the good shepherd, the door, the way, the truth and the life, the vine, and the light of the world. This Easter Sunday, Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. completed the series with a message on Jesus' final "I am" statement as being The Resurrection and The Life.
In this message, we dove into John 11, where Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, fell ill. Even though Jesus hears this and promises that the illness will not end in death, he stays two days longer where he was before going to see his friend. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus is already dead, and his sisters, Mary and Martha are confused and hurt by Jesus' delay.
If you're waiting on God for a miracle, it can be very difficult to trust in his timing. Pastor Rich gave us three thoughts to cling to during a season of waiting on God.
A waiting season doesn't have to be a wasted season.
When you're waiting on God to perform a miracle, it's easy to stress and begin trying to solve problems on your own, leading us to fix our eyes on ourselves and away from Jesus. There is always a purpose in God's timing when he performs a miracle, it isn't just for you, but also for the people around you. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he waited until the scene was set, the body was decayed, and the crowd was gathered. He did it at a time when it would make an impact on everyone around. Don't be discouraged when you're waiting for a miracle, God uses the waiting seasons to develop you, to prepare you, and to position you. Trust that God wants to do something in you before he does something through you.
Just because you're delayed, doesn't mean you're denied
When Jesus didn't show up before Lazarus' death, Mary and Martha thought they'd been denied their request. We may sometimes feel like he is delayed, but with Jesus, we are never denied. Jesus had his mind set on something bigger than instant gratification. He sees the bigger picture that we may not be able to see.
If God always met your expectations, he would never exceed them.
Mary and Martha wanted a healing, but Jesus delivered a resurrection. When Jesus finally arrived, Martha was hesitant to roll the tomb away from Lazarus' grave. She was concerned that the body was too decayed, but Jesus insisted. There is no degree of decay that is too much for Jesus to resurrect. This week, no matter how decayed you think your life or your situation is, roll the tomb away and let Jesus in. Allow Jesus to resurrect what has been dead in your life, and trust that no matter how long you think you've been waiting on God, the miracle he has in store for you will not disappoint. God is just getting started.
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