Every moment was a torture counting wheezing breaths
Hope was our friend but Help was beyond our reach
Our faith waited and fluttered with His endless delay
Death dared and danced over our beloved, stripping him
Mocking us, and all we could do was nothing but mope
Battling sinking disappointment that contrary to noble faith
God might not show up when we need Him the most.

I travelled to Bethany few days back in my quiet time via John Chapter 11. In the next couple of weeks, we will be bringing home the experiences of Mary, Martha and Lazarus as they looked up to God in their peculiar circumstances. The Scripture is not just about happenstances of then, it is relatable to our everyday experiences and we will be sharing this magnificent story and making those connections to where we have been and where we are in our walk with God.

What a privilege for Mary, Martha and their brother, Lazarus to be counted close friends of Christ, the miracle working Savior from Nazareth. Maybe some of us have enjoyed that experience of being and living as close friends and Ambassadors of Christ. It is only natural to expect your closest friend to be there for you in times of need. It is equally natural to expect God to do for us, His beloved, as He has done for others if not more. Can you then imagine the disappointment of Lazarus as he lay dying, waiting for His dearest friend, who had saved others, but was nowhere to be found in his own time of need?

Some of us like Lazarus are afflicted and wondering, “Why am I even sick if God is so good and cares about me?” People often attribute adverse conditions to sin or some unexplainable circumstances. Unfortunately truth is that we live in a world that is under the power of darkness and as a result, are exposed to the evil of the times we live in. That is why we pray, “Thy Kingdome come O God! Thy will be done.” We know His thoughts and will for us is not evil but to abundant life, it is glorious hope and it is eternal joy. It shouldn’t be a surprise that evil besets. God knew and He promised that through it all, He will be with us to the end – that is one sure thing we can hold onto through all of life’s events.

Still, some of us are suffering, praying, hoping and wondering, “Where is God the healer when I need Him the most?” I am rarely ever sick but like Lazarus, there have been situations where I was down and needing the Healer to show up and deliver. Did God show up when I wanted Him to? Did He heal like I expected? Not at all. Unlike in Lazarus’s case where Jesus was obviously away, in my own situations, I knew He was right there with me but He didn’t do as expected. He didn’t heal like I thought God would.

I had to learn to trust God through those situations. I had to choose to keep trusting even if He wouldn’t do my bidding of healing and in the path of walking my trust with God despite foreboding disappointment, I found the way of escape He had made for me in those situations. Had I heeded disappointment, I would definitely have missed out. I learned that God is God; I cannot predict Him, I cannot detect for Him how to come through for me. My place is to follow in trust, to keep believing even if all else seems to fail. I learned that it is better to die believing than to live in disbelief. Are you ailing or hurting or both and God seems to be playing the waiting game with you?

Truth is, our minds may but God doesn’t play games with us. He answers every prayer. He comes through every situation. The only reason why we don’t feel it is because we are so focused on how we assume that God would come and what we conclude that God should do. But He is God. His answers may not be pleasing to us at the time. His timing may not be fitting as we deem it. Still He remains God which means; never failing, never late. Whatever your situation today, keep these in mind: He is God, He answers prayers, He makes a way: ask Him to show you the way He has made in your situation instead of fixating on the way you have made for Him because at the end of the day, God was, God is and God always will be God.

To be continued.

Blessings.

Glory!