GREATER THINGSSample

DAY 5: NO MESS, NO MIRACLE

Lazarus and his sisters were some of Jesus’ closest friends. They had cared for Jesus and His disciples so well through the years. Hosted them. Fed them. His sister, Mary, even washed Jesus’ feet one time with crazy expensive perfume. So when word reached Jesus that Lazarus was sick, everyone expected Jesus to drop everything and run to Bethany. The disciples had watched Jesus heal strangers on the street. How much more would He do for a personal friend who He loved?

But Jesus didn’t rush to Lazarus’ side to save the day. He didn’t send a healing word like He had done for that centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10). When He heard Lazarus was fighting for his life, He actually stayed where He was for two more days.

As a result, death beat Jesus to Lazarus.

Lazarus had been in his tomb for four days by the time Jesus and the disciples showed up on the scene. That’s four days of mourning for Mary and Martha. Four sleepless nights with tear-soaked pillows. Ninety-six hours of wondering where Jesus was. Lazarus wasn’t just dead — His body was decomposing. To say Jesus was late would be the ultimate understatement.

Mary and Martha’s first words to Jesus were the same. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” It was probably what they had been saying all week long as they made funeral arrangements.

But Martha added to that statement with all the faith she had left and said, “Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give you.”

Yet even now. Even if God seems late and the door seems closed, will you continue to pray for miracles?

Jesus didn’t do what Mary and Martha expected Him to do, but that didn’t mean He wasn’t working. The same is true in your life. In fact, God rarely performs the miracle we think He should, when we think He should. If God worked things out the way we wanted when we wanted, we wouldn’t call it a miracle because we wouldn’t even notice.

If you want to experience greater things, you can’t be afraid of the gravesites in your life, because that’s often where the best miracles happen. You can’t experience resurrection until you’ve faced death, and you can’t witness a miracle until you’ve walked through a mess.

Jesus didn’t heal Lazarus because He wanted to show everyone watching that He was capable of so much more. His goal wasn’t to give them instant relief, but a deeper revelation of who He was. Resurrection wasn’t something He did. It’s who He was.

Remember when we talked about miracles being powered by prayer? Well, there’s a difference between praying about something and praying through something. The greatest miracles must be prayed through. Don’t assume because your prayer didn’t get answered the way you hoped that a miracle isn’t in motion. Keep pressing on. Prayer is what keeps you connected to God so He can change you while you wait on your situation to change.