Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So 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, “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.”
—John 11:1-7, 11-16, 20-24, 32-44

~~~~~

Love That Waits
By Jennifer Kane

When word came swift—a friend lay sick and low,
They called for Him who healed with but a breath.
Yet still He tarried, choosing not to go,
And let love linger in the shade of death.

Not for neglect, nor lack of heart or care,
But for a glory greater still to shine.
A deeper faith, a stronger hope to bear,
A Love divine that moves in perfect time.

He weeps, yet waits; He holds, yet does not haste.
Each tear He counts, each cry He does embrace.
In tomb-bound dark, no miracle goes waste—
The grave becomes the stage of richest grace.

So trust the Love that lets the silence stay,
For even death must move when Love says, “Stay.”

~~~~~

Scriptures: John 11:1-7, 11-16, 20-24, 32-4

Love doesn’t always rush in. Sometimes, love waits.

When Jesus heard that His dear friend Lazarus was sick, His response seems baffling—He stayed two days longer. Not because He was indifferent. Not because He was busy. But because He loved them.

Scripture says plainly: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So…”
That little word “so” is everything.
His love led Him to wait.

Why? Because He had something greater in store than just healing. Jesus knew Lazarus’ illness was not the end—it was a setup for God’s glory, a stage for deeper belief, and a path to reveal Himself as the Resurrection and the Life.

If Jesus had come immediately, they would have seen a healing. But because He waited, they witnessed a resurrection—a preview of the victory He would soon win for all who believe.

In our lives, we often cry, “Lord, if You had been here…” when things die—dreams, relationships, even hope.

But Jesus’ love is not always shown in the quick fix. Sometimes He waits, not because He doesn’t care, but because He wants to do something far deeper than what we asked for.

In the waiting:
He is deepening our faith.
He is preparing our hearts to see His glory.
He is drawing us to know who He is, not just what He can do.

He may not come when we expect, but He always comes when it’s right—and when He comes, He brings resurrection with Him.

Where in your life have you been waiting for Jesus to show up?
Could His delay be an invitation to trust Him more deeply?
What might Jesus be resurrecting in your heart through this season of waiting?

~~~~~

Father, Thank You for loving me enough to wait. Even when I don’t understand Your timing, help me trust that You are always working for my good and Your glory. Teach me to rest in who You are—not just in what You do. When I face delays and disappointments, help me remember that resurrection power is still coming. I believe that You are the Resurrection and the Life. I trust You to write the story—even when You wait. In Your powerful name, Jesus, Amen.

June 16 2025