Resurrecting Hope
(5 minutes)
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, is the only disciple who gives us the story of resurrection life in a man named Lazarus. It takes beloved identity to see Abba's heart in this story.
In the village of Bethany there was a man named Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary was the one who would anoint Jesus' feet with costly perfume and dry his feet with her long hair. One day Lazarus became very sick to the point of death. So his sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, our brother Lazarus, the one you love, is very sick. Please come! When he heard this, he said, "This sickness will not end in death for Lazarus, but will bring glory and praise to God. This will reveal the greatness of the Son of God by what takes place." Now even though Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he remained where he was for two more days. (John 11:1-5)
There are areas in our lives that don't look how we want them to look. There are areas where our hopeless lens is still seeing death and decay. And on top of that, it seems like God isn't doing anything about it. This was the case for Mary and Martha as they watched their beloved brother waste away, without any response from Jesus. And even though Jesus is delaying his arrival on purpose and declares that it will put His greatness on display, Mary and Martha are still having a hard time. What areas are you losing hope in because it seems like Abba's promise is being delayed? What areas are you struggling to hold hope for because of the time it's taking to see a change?
Now when they arrived at Bethany, which was only about two miles from Jerusalem, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Many friends of Mary and Martha had come from the region to console them over the loss of their brother. And when Martha heard that Jesus was approaching the village, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "My Lord, if only you had come sooner, my brother wouldn't have died. But I know that if you were to ask God for anything, he would do it for you. Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise and live." She replied, "Yes, I know he will rise with everyone else on resurrection day." "Martha," Jesus said, "You don't have to wait until then. I am the Resurrection, and I am Life Eternal. Anyone who clings to me in faith, even though he dies, will live forever. And the one who lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:17-25)
Martha utters these words that some of us are speaking over certain areas in our lives: if only. Jesus, if only you would have come sooner, this could have been fixed. This "if only" language is the witness of hopelessness. "If only" really means "it's too late." It's over. There's nothing we can do about it now. Are you carrying this language of hopelessness? If so, you need to hear Abba's voice today speaking His truth over that area. Abba's word is "it's never too late, it's never too far gone, and it's never over."
"We don't have to wait until death comes to get us to have hope. I know this situation looks like death. I know it's been buried. I know it's been going on so long it's starting to deform, and decay, and stink. But resurrection is here right now. And you can have it right now. Eternal life is now." (Pastor Tim)
Abba is coming after the hopelessness in us. He's coming after that perspective that only sees death and destruction, instead of resurrection life and hope. Beloved sons and daughters who have allowed their hearts to be healed and their hope to be restored will be planted by Yahweh in ruined cities and devastated places, and they will bring His resurrection life and hope into that place to see it rebuilt and restored. In order for this to happen, we can't be affected by what things look like and how long they've looked a certain way. We must have Abba's perspective, or else the death and decay will always speak louder than His word concerning a matter.
Abba is coming after the hopelessness that still remains in our hearts. And we have to open ourselves up to His embrace and let him deal with that hopelessness. We have to bring our honesty to Him in intimacy concerning these areas. He can handle our questions, and He wants us to run to Him with these things. What areas have you stopped dreaming about? What areas have you stopped asking Him to heal and restore? These are the areas where hopelessness has set in. These are the areas that we've settled for death and decay. We've settled for tending a tomb, instead of trusting Abba to resurrect every dead thing.
"Do you remember when you believed that you be anything or you could do anything? I feel the Spirit of God asking us, 'Do you remember when you believed anything was possible?'" (Pastor Tim)
Beloved One, your imagination was designed for hope. It was designed to dream of all the ways Abba could resurrect and bring life to dead things. It was designed to trust Abba with every detail. Let Him resurrect hope in you today, because eternal life is here. You don't have to wait!
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Worship: "Promises" by Maverick City Music
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
