39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” John 11:39-40
It’s said that disappointment comes when we expect one thing, and get another. If you’ve been on this earth for very long, then I’m sure you’ve had your share of disappointment. Yes, there were times when you thought something was going to work out a certain way, but things went in a completely different direction.
Can you imagine the dismay and disappointment the disciples and those close followers of Jesus must have felt at the crucifixion and the day after? After all, this just wasn’t the way they expected things to go down. Not Jesus! Jesus wasn’t supposed to be killed at the hands of the Pharisees and Romans. He was the Messiah. He had come to set up a New Kingdom.
That same disappointment overwhelmed Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. They had even sent word to Jesus that their brother had taken sick and they just knew He would get there in time to heal their brother and prevent his death. The Father had other plans though. The Father delayed Jesus, and Lazarus did die, but all for His Glory.
Years ago someone shared with me the truth about the “three phases of a God vision.” It seems that everything that is born of Him goes through these three steps; the “birth of the vision,” the “death of the vision,” and the “resurrection of the vision.” You may be thinking at this very moment about those “God things” in your life that have passed through these three steps.
Thank God that everything doesn’t get resurrected. There are just some things, situations, and even relationships that God never wanted to be in our lives in the first place and because of that, the resurrection never comes. Most of the time, we don’t even really know how the story is going to end and It’s often not until, and if, a resurrection happens that we know it was meant to be.
So what do we do on the Saturday after the death of the vision? We keep our eyes on Jesus, while knowing that He is the Resurrection, and holds the power within Himself to bring anything back from the dead, even if “it stinketh.” That’s the “King James” version of what Martha said to Jesus… “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.”
Today, keep your eyes on Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, and believe on Him. If what has died in your life is a God thing, then know, that Sunday’s Coming!