WHERE IS GOD WHEN LIFE HURTS? (JOHN 11:1-44)

Have you ever doubted whether God is real and He will be able to rescue you from an impossible situation? If you have, then you are not alone there are many skeptics out there who doubt the very existence of God. They are promoting an ideology which says “there is no God” by ad campaigns such as "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?" “There is probably No God; now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” According to the American Religious Identification System (ARIS), about 40 million non believers in the USA.”

When people constantly are bombarded by such deceptive ads and surrounded by atheists at the work place, schools, in the market place, they tend to believe those lies. Psalm 53:1 “The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.” Is it possible even for seasoned saints to doubt at times? especially when they face situations that are beyond them such as the diagnosis of an incurable disease, mounting credit card debt, unemployment, loss of a loved or even loss of a dream or expectation and so on. During such times we wonder where God is? Our faith is shaken and we can’t figure why God is allowing all this. We move into unbelief which can lead to despair, fear and eventually to total hopelessness.

In John 11th chapter we read of two sisters who were hurting because of the death of their brother. Everything looked bleak and they had given up all hope. They wondered where God was in all this. Jesus walks into that situation and tells them “your brother will rise again” this didn’t make any sense; He’s been dead for four days. It’s impossible they thought.

I. Does God really care? :( Vs: 1-6)
Bethany was a small village on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives. On his many travels to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples frequented the home of Martha and Mary at Bethany. Mary here is the same one from whom Jesus cast out seven demons once. These were the same two sisters who opened up their home to Jesus (Luke 10:38-41) and provided hospitality. They had a brother by name Lazarus. One day, Lazarus became very sick, so they sent a word saying “Lord the one you love is sick, with a hope that Jesus would come and heal their brother. Where was Jesus? Jesus was near the Jordan valley at that time. (For the gospel writer John the timing and the place was very important)

What would you do if you get news saying one of your dearly loved friends is sick? Won’t you make some efforts to go and see your friend? Surprisingly upon receiving that news Jesus did not make any effort to go to Bethany, instead he stayed where he was two more days. It does sound rather strange isn’t it? It seemed like Jesus did not care about his sick friend and his two worried sisters. As if that was not enough he said to the disciples let’s go back to Judea which is in the opposite direction to Bethany. Have you ever been hurt beyond what you can bear? You wanted so badly for God to intervene in that situation. You prayed and nothing happened. It seemed as if God did not care a bit about what you were going through. You feel like He is moving too slow, taking his own sweet time. He is answering every body else’s prayers except yours. You feel like he is by passing you and blessing others instead. Just because he is not moving as fast as you would expect him to move does it mean that he doesn’t care about your situation? In fact God loves you so much, when you hurt he hurts. In Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Peter invites us to cast all our anxiety upon God because he cares for us.”(I Pet 5:7)

II. Why does God delay? (Vs 7-14)
After hearing the news Jesus stayed back two more days where he was. But all along he was sensing in his spirit what was going on in Bethany. It took four days before he could get to Bethany. Why did he take that long? Bethany was only less than two miles from Jordan. Was he denying healing to his sick friend through his delay? No! Jesus purposefully stayed back for two reasons, firstly he wanted his disciples to believe that he was the messiah and he can do any thing. Secondly he waited for four days perhaps to make sure that Lazarus was irrevocably dead in order to rule out a false belief of some Jews who believed that a dead person’s soul waits near the body for three days to get back into it. So Jesus waited until the situation became totally impossible by any human standards.

God moves and operates in a different time frame than we humans do. Ron Walters explains, “His dealings with mankind have always done in real times, and in some cases, real slow time. God’s building project for Noah took one hundred years. God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah took twenty five years to fulfill. God waited four hundred years before he delivered the Children of Israel from Egypt. The promised second coming of Jesus Christ is taking over two thousand years.”

Illustration: Before we came to Boston for my seminary studies we were searching for a house to rent via internet in India. We prayed, wished and hoped that we would have the security of a place before we left India. En route to Boston we stayed in Holland for a few weeks. Our search continued for a rented place. I was worried, made desperate phone calls to a rental agency in Malden, and had several sleepless nights finally but it was to no avail. In the end just thirteen days prior to our leaving Holland we were able to secure a place to live in Malden. What a relief!

We may never fully understand why God some times comes quickly to our rescue and at other times he delays his rescue operations. A few reasons why I believe we don’t see the answers immediately. Some times the answer is delayed because of the opposition of the demonic forces who will try everything to block that answer. Daniel prayed to God for an explanation of a vision. God sent the answer on the first day that Daniel set his mind to seek the Lord for an answer but that was delayed by 21 days because the enemy was opposing God’s angel.(Daniel 10:12-13). There are other times God delays it in order to achieve a greater purpose as in this story of Lazarus’s death. What ever may be reason for his delay, his timing is always right and that is something we can rely upon. For example, When Abraham was about to kill Isaac, God provided a ram substitute, When Moses and the Israelites faced the red sea God parted the red sea. Isn’t that typically how our God works? He will make a way where there seems to be no way. God’s delay is not necessarily meaning his denial. So let’s not give up; hang in there, maybe the answer is just around the corner.

III. If you believe you will see the Glory of God (Vs 38-44)
Finally after four days Jesus arrived at Bethany. Martha was the one who first heard the news and she went up to meet him. We often think of Martha being the busy one who never spends time with God and Mary being the more spiritual one, sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to every word he was saying to her. But when the calamity hit both of them have responded the same way saying, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.” In one way they were blaming Jesus, for not coming in time to heal their brother. Interestingly in this story Martha seemed to be the one knowing the scriptures and having more faith in God.

Listen to the dialogue between Martha and Jesus: Martha said, Vs 22 “But I know that even now God will give you what ever you ask.” Jesus said your brother will rise again. Martha answered “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” She just quoted from Daniel 12:2, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” Jesus said to her Vs 25 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live; whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Vs 27 Martha answered “yes Lord I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the World.”

We may have head knowledge of the Bible and all the right answers but how far do we really believe that God is real, he is trustworthy and is able to deliver us from all our troubles? In Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Why belief in God is important? Romans 14:23 “everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Unbelief is the root of all sin infact unbelief is SIN.

Vs 33 Jesus was deeply moved and troubled by the enormous grief of Mary and the Jews who had come to comfort her. He asked where you have laid him? As if he didn’t know the place. He was God right? He should know every thing. Yes that is true, but at the same time he wants us to tell him what we need. This tells that Jesus wants to walk right into the problem. He wants us to be specific as if doesn’t already know what we need, yet amazingly he wants to hear us! He wants relationship; it makes his heart respond to his people. What do we see Jesus do here as Martha and Mary show him where their brother is buried? Jesus weeps!.................To that some said: “see how much he loved him and others who were skeptic scoffed and said could he who opened the eyes of the blind man not have kept this man from dying?

There they were; in front of that closed tomb, Take away the stone Jesus said. Martha thought she really had to correct Jesus here and give a little hygiene lesson. “By this time there is a bad odor for he has been there for four days she said.” Don’t we all try to reason things out with our own little minds? We think we own the wisdom in the world and have all our facts lined up and we leave no space for God in our equation? And what does Jesus say when Martha is trying to put him right? Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? What does that imply? Do we often give up hoping in the Lord a little too soon?

V 41 says, they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.
When he had said this Jesus called in a loud voice, said three powerful words LAZARUS COME OUT… The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go. As a result of this miracle many Jews put their faith in Jesus.

How about you? What is the impossible situation you are facing in your life? Has your faith taken a beating at some of the things that have happened in your life? What is the miracle your are looking for? When have you last talked to the Lord about it? Don’t doubt his love! He always hears you! When he gives certain instructions to follow, simply obey and follow, don’t argue with God because you will be the looser in the end.

Don’t give up your faith, continue to believe in God you will in deed see the glory of God.