Janice Gaines - The Overflow DevoSample

Make A Way

I have six brothers and sisters. As you can imagine, there were moments when one of us got something that the rest of us didn’t. Once the good arguments were bested, it always ended with, “that’s not fair!” Whenever I would make that claim to my dad, his response was always, “who told you life was fair? I surely didn’t!” Though it seemed harsh to me then, I can appreciate his lesson to me about disappointment and entitlement. For instance, I was never going to be able to go to boy scouts with my older brother!

Mary, Martha and Lazarus were siblings and all true followers of Jesus. At some point, Lazarus became sick. The sisters, who had walked with Jesus for some time, called for Jesus to come heal their brother, His friend. His response was, “this illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified in it.” Jesus came days later after Lazarus had already died, and you can imagine the disappointment and confusion the sisters must’ve felt. The One they loved and believed in had let them down. And why? We discussed Martha’s response on a previous day of this series of devotionals, but today let’s look more closely at Mary’s response.

Mary heard that Jesus was nearby, and she had something to say. For more valid reasons than my ten-year old self, she screams with her heart that this is not fair and she doesn’t understand it. The truth is, we (nor Mary) were promised fair—we were promised life with shalom (true peace) through Jesus. You and I are not exempt from life’s disappointments even as Christians. At the same time, we are not forced to keep silent about them before our Lord, either. In expressing her deep wound with exasperation, Mary wept honestly and in a raw way before the Lord who loves her. Those around her, seeing her pain, began to weep as well, and the story tells us that Jesus was moved deeply and wept also. If you’ve ever been heartbroken, you know the value of someone truly being with you in it. Psalm 34:18 promises that God will be with us in these times, bringing peace and hope to places where there was none. As with Mary, so He is with us.