Limitless

8/9/2009

John 11:23 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

New American Standard Bible

Martha knew Jesus’ presence meant something, but she couldn’t mentally conceive of Jesus calling Lazarus forth from the grave – that seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind. To Martha, everyone has their limits and even Jesus apparently was too late in getting there to help with the situation.

Sometimes it does feel like God is too late to help. Sometimes circumstances and situations seem so utterly impossible that it appears that even God has met His limits. Sometimes we humans are so utterly foolish that because of what we see or feel we arrive at the fixed conclusion that not even God can help. Then God does something we never could’ve imagined. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again…[today!]” At the moment, Martha’s mind would never have gone there, but she changed her tune by the next day!

More often than not it isn’t the miracle I’ve conceived in my heart that I receive, but the creation of new thinking, new faith, and new hope that’s the outcome of my impossible situation or circumstances. Believing in Jesus means believing in all that He is able to do, and accepting the fact that sometimes He appears to be too late. When Jesus shows up impossibly late, the fact that He shows up at all ought to be enough for me to cry our in joyous praise, “Jesus is here! Jesus is here!”

Father in Heaven,

Your word says, "The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Your word assures me that You will never leave me or forsake me. Your word says that the work You’ve begun in me, You’ll see through to completion in the day of Christ – that’s enough. Though, at times, it appears You’ve forgotten or shown up too late, I will, because of what You’ve said, reject such foolish thinking and rejoice that You showed up at all, and are working every moment of every day to complete in me the work You’ve begun – I praise You and thank You, in Jesus’ Name, amen.