Do you believe this? John 11:26
Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? John 11:40
Jesus asked this question to Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died. She was devastated that Jesus hadn't arrived in time to heal her brother. Jesus told her Lazarus would rise again. She replied, "Yeah, I know at the last day…" Jesus tells her, "I AM the resurrection. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She answers, "Lord, I believe You are the Christ."
Later they stand at the tomb and Jesus commands it to be opened. Martha protests because her brother has been dead four days now. Jesus responds, "Did I not say to you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
In Monday's post, we looked at unbelief, a willful choice to discount the evidence. With Martha, something different was going on. She was wrestling with doubt. Doubt says, "I want to believe, but…"
God isn't going to do this for me – Martha had seen Jesus heal others, knew He had raised the dead, but maybe she wasn't special enough to rate a miracle like that. Jesus was going to show her how special she really was.
This is too much – Martha admitted the stopping point of her faith: I believe You are the Christ. Or, Lord, I believe up to this point but I can't handle anymore. Jesus intended to show her what "Christ" meant.
This has never been done before – Jesus had raised hours-dead folks, but never a days-dead corpse. It was beyond what she could imagine. Jesus was going to expand her horizons.
God honors that desire to strengthen faith, and doubt marks the areas that need work. Doubt is intensely personal, as is its resolution. It is part of our growth. We can seize the opportunity to grow if we do several things:
- Identify it – In what areas do you doubt God?
- Admit it – Tell God specifically what you trust and where you waver.
- Watch for God's hand – He will address your concerns, and then challenge you to take faith steps further than you've ever gone before.
When you do, "you will see the glory of God."
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I remember reading about Lazarus and the KJV said, "Lo, he stinketh…" that was funny. But, yeah, Martha…I don't blame her. Her brothers been dead for days and for her, what's done has been done. But, Jesus had a surprise for her! Thanks for the post!