healing versus raising

John 11:1-27

¹ A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. ² This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. ³ So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick."

Three times in three verses, Lazarus was sick.  He didn't just have a stuffy nose; he was severely ill.  And Mary and Martha knew it.  And they knew that Jesus was running around all over the country healing people, so, logically, they told Jesus that Lazarus was sick, knowing that, of course, Jesus would come heal Lazarus, because Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

 

But He didn't.  Jesus intentionally waited to let Lazarus die so that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead.

 

I can imagine that Mary and Martha were getting pretty impatient with Jesus as Lazarus was getting sicker and sicker and seeing that he would probably die.  Because I would have.  And I would have been pretty mad and disappointed with Jesus when Lazarus died.  "There you go, healing all of these people who don't even know you, but you can't even take care of someone you love? What kind of messed up plan is that?"

 

I found out a couple of days ago that my Uncle George was having some testing for cancer.  After praying for God to heal several of my friends and family from cancer with no (i.e., zero, zilch, nada) observed physical healings, I'm honestly wondering if praying for physical healing is worth the time and effort.  It seems like it is easier just to not get your expectations up, let Jesus let them die, and then watch Him raise us all at the last day (verse 24).

 

Heavenly Father, please help me trust you.  Lord Jesus, I know that you are the Resurrection and the Life, and I know that you have conquered sin and death, and I know that you will raise up your chosen on the last day, but it would be nice if you would heal some people physically every now and then.  I know you can't keep healing everybody from every sickness or then no one would ever die, and we have to die because of sin.  It would just be nice if some of my friends and family who seem to get cancer too early in life would be healed, physically.  It just seems really random.  Please help me trust you.  I love you, Lord, and I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.