Finding Grace in Disappointment (Lessons from Lazarus)预览

 Jesus, please come!

Lazarus was sick.

This wasn’t the kind of sickness Lazarus was coming out of in his own strength, so his sisters went to the one place they were certain of help: Jesus.

After all, they were friends! He had been in their house, shared their food, enjoyed their company, taught them the secret to restful living.

“Lord, our brother Lazarus, the one you love is very sick. Please come!” (Jn 11:3 TPT)

Please come. 

It doesn’t need to be a physical illness of a loved one for that to be a heart-cry. Living in a broken world means all manner of things come across our path and cause deep pain. 

Jesus, please come.

Where does your heart turn when trouble comes? Perhaps you believe that Jesus is able to help you, but underneath there’s doubt that He is willing, so instead you work on fixing it alone. Yet we give up His rest for our striving when we doubt His willingness to help.

Mostly when that doubt enters in, if we can be honest, at its deepest root is the fear that maybe you’re not loved enough to deserve His help.

Oh but you are so loved!

His grace is there even for doubt. His Word teaches and tells us we are loved, but life experiences and challenges can leave us with a lingering doubt, and the stronghold of the noise of the world can subtly take precedence over what God says.

Don’t allow doubt in either His desire or His ability, cause Him to be your last resort rather than your first port of call.

Whatever it is that you need, when you cry out to Jesus, you can do it with complete confidence that you are deeply loved—just as Lazarus’s sisters did. Psalm 139:17 tells us that you are cherished constantly in His every thought! It is a position of confident humility, a position that acknowledges that in our own strength and by our own striving we fall far short, yet by His grace we have been given full access to every blessing through Christ Jesus as His dearly beloved ones. We have been given full access to His presence, so open up your heart with all its doubts and questions and shortcomings, and allow His grace to begin to work as you give up your striving to be enough. You are enough, right now just as you are. There is nothing more you can do.

But oh, there is so much more that Jesus can.

Come boldly to the throne of grace today, it is there you will find grace to help every kind of need.

Lord, the one you love needs you. Please come…