Remember, God always answers our prayers…
So, when He heard that he was sick,
He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
John 11:6
The request was simple. Jesus’ good friends, sisters Mary and Martha, asked that He come quickly because their brother Lazarus was seriously ill. Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. And all hope seemed buried right along with the beloved brother and friend of Christ. Here, we learn a valuable lesson:
Our Father always answers our every prayer: Yes, No, or Not Yet.
Yes-answered prayers are easy. It’s the no and not yet petitions that require faith on our part. Learning yesterday that we are always heard, incredible comfort comes again from knowing: He loves me, His Word is true, and He knows best. These are real rubber-meets-the-road times of trust for us.
When His answer to our requests appears to be a no, we find our rest in His omniscience and omnipresence. He has a vantage point to view our lives that we can’t even imagine. In the light of time and eternity, these seemingly unfulfilled requests will often make sense later. Think of the old song lyrics: Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered (no) prayers.[i]
Not-yet prayers tell us that God is keeping a different timetable than ours. Delaying Lazarus’ healing caused a greater story—a greater glory—to be revealed. Sometimes, we are not ready for the thing we want, like a four-year-old wishing to drive the family car on the freeway. Maybe our request involves over a thousand people—a ripple effect. Here, He may be lining the puzzle pieces up that we can’t yet see. Some prayers might require spiritual warfare, or yes, the removal of some unhealthy stuff in our lives. He may be calling us to grow in Him before He answers.
So, let’s lean into Lazarus’ healing story. Jesus has eternity in mind. His delays or no answer to our prayers can be trusted. Let’s do just that. Trust Him. Because a marvelous miracle might just be waiting around the corner.
[i] Garth Brooks, Pat Alger, and Larry Bastian, Unanswered Prayers, 1990