Have you ever had a friend let you down? You asked her to do something for you, you counted on her to do it and then she let you down. It hurts. You feel like you don’t matter and begin to wonder if she listened to you when you poured out your heart to her, telling her how you counted on her, trusted her to come through for you and she didn’t. You begin to wonder if she was really your friend at all. Should you have trusted her?

Have you ever felt that way about God? In John 11 we read about Mary and her sister, Martha. They loved Jesus and needed Him to come through for them in a huge way but He let them down, or at least that’s what it looked like to them. Their brother, Lazarus, was sick and dying and they sent word to the Lord asking Him to come quickly. Jesus’ response to their request was to remain where He was for two more days. That’s not the response you’d expect and it certainly wasn’t what Mary and Martha were expecting.

When Jesus finally arrived, it was too late, or at least that’s what it looked like to them. Lazarus was dead and Mary and Martha were heartbroken. They felt let down and abandoned by Jesus. Martha let Jesus know exactly how heartbroken and betrayed she felt. In verse 21 she said “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Just think about it, the very thing they had feared for their brother happened because Jesus didn’t trouble Himself to come when they were in great need. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like you’ve cried out to God for something you desperately needed and He didn’t come through? God just forgot about you or didn’t bother to step in when you needed Him most, or at least that’s what it looked like to you.

Sweet friends, the story doesn’t end at verse 21. If you read on, you learn that Jesus loved Lazarus dearly. He wept over what Lazarus experienced, but God used it for a greater good. He went to the tomb and asked them to move the stone away. Just think of the looks on their faces? Lazarus had been dead for four days [Vs.39]. This was way before embalming practices. Mary and Martha protested telling Him it would smell awful. I love Jesus’ response. “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” then Jesus calls Lazarus out of them tomb and the glory of God was displayed for all who were there [vs. 40-43]. Lazarus was alive.

Look at your situation and ask yourself “Am I going to believe what my circumstances tell me or am I going to believe Jesus?” No matter what things look like, even if we cannot see any way for it to possibly work out, we can trust Jesus. Nothing is impossible with God [Luke 1:37]. In fact, Mark 9:23 says “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Friends, when we believe Jesus and the promises He gives us in His Word, then we will “see the glory of God.”