“Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
–
John 11:32
The story of Mary is one of the best illustrations of devotion to God. Her devotion to Christ (anointing Jesus’ feet) came as a rebuke to the disciples and even to her sister (sitting at Jesus’ feet). Even in this account of raising Lazarus from the tomb, we see Mary’s fervent devotion to seemingly indifferent Jesus. First, Jesus healed a lot of sick people, but He wasn’t there for them. Second, Jesus delayed 2 days in coming. Yet, when Mary knew of Christ’s arrival, she ran to Him. Mary was utterly right that Lazarus wouldn't have died, had Christ been there in Bethany when he was sick.
However,
Mary was also absolutely wrong to have said in that manner. When she said those
words, she was saying, in fact, “It's unfortunate! It's a mistake that You were
not able to be here! If you had been here, this would not happen!” However, we now know that it wasn't a
mistake. Jesus purposefully let it happen (v4-6). It was not to torture Mary or
Lazarus, of course. It was to strengthen their faith when He restored life to
Lazarus. A thousand years ago, Abraham was called upon to sacrifice his beloved
son, Isaac. Abraham didn't think it to be a mistake. He was devoted to God and decided
to sacrifice his son, believing that God could raise him again (Heb.12:19). God
confirmed his faith.
Few months ago,
I bought a new laptop. It often got hanged 2, 3 times a day. And I often got
annoyed thinking, “This is a mistake. Why would the Lord cause me to choose
this deceitful laptop among many?” We know, God commits no mistake. I still
have not found the exact reason why, but I have learned a lot about the need for
patience already! After all, pastors should be known for their gentleness and
patience, right? [I wrote this devotional piece months ago. At the time of publishing this blog, my PC has been working very smoothly for more than a month already. I thank God!]
Has
it been for you that the Lord seems indifferent, unkind, and uncaring to answer
your prayers? Remember, God’s compassion for us is exceedingly abundant than we
can ever imagine. God allows all circumstances in life to strengthen us in our
faith in Him. Would you practice to trust and rest in Him who knows all things
and works for our own good?