Have you ever been guilty of always reacting to any situation that comes up? I have – I am a fix it now type of girl. Often that gets me into trouble as I act first and think later. But what if there was a better way. There is, and it involves a number of steps. Before we look at those, let’s look at a relevant story in the Bible. The story is found in the book of John and it concerns Jesus, His disciples and a man named Lazarus.
The story is found in chapter 11. It starts off that Lazarus was sick. Now if you and I received the call that one of our best friends was sick and in hospital, most likely we would go to see them. We would react without thinking. But have you ever asked yourself what would Jesus do? We see what Jesus did in verse 6 – He stayed where He was for two more days. He prayed and sought God and then stayed. Jesus was like us and probably dearly wanted to go to His friend but God stopped Him.
After two days, Jesus had the clearance to go but a tragedy had happened by then. Lazarus had died. By the time Jesus came to the town, he had been dead for four days and was already buried. So why did He wait for so long. Some scholars say that He waited two days as it was symbolic that Jesus is coming back for us 2000 years after He returned to the Father. He was also following His Father’s orders.
The point is that Jesus didn’t automatically go as soon as He heard about the need, He waited on His Father’s instructions. There are times in our lives when we shouldn’t be so hasty to go but rather stay, hear God’s instructions and then do what He says – it may be hard but there is a blessing for all at the end.
So what did Jesus do? He didn’t say Oh sorry and give up. No He went to where they buried Lazarus. He then looked up to heaven and prayed and thanked God for hearing Him always. Why did He do that? Sometimes, when we ask God for things, He tells us what to do and it isn’t always act now. Most often times, it is wait. But the point is, He hears us always when we pray and Jesus wanted us to know that. No matter if it looks like our prayers aren’t being answered, God always hears. He then said Lazarus come out.
What? Nobody had been raised from the dead whilst they were in the grave. But God showed us this example, so that when Jesus died and God said come out, Jesus would. Jesus’ resurrection shouldn’t have been hard for these people to believe as Jesus was in the grave for a shorter period than Lazarus.
This story is amazing but it’s also true. Jesus acted on His Father’s instructions and so should we. Jesus didn’t react to circumstances but waited on God. This is the example we too must follow. I know it is hard not to react but we need to train ourselves to listen to God. He will tell us what to do.
So this week, take time and listen to God. This will help you and me keep living the life God intended for you. Bless you heaps!!
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