Lazarus Come Out From Your Faithlessness

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”” 

John 11:25-26 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.11.25-26.NIV)

“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”” 

Mark 9:24 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.9.24.NIV)

Recovery from any injury or illness is as much psychological as it is physical. 

I learned this through several years of struggles with persistent lower back issues, likely caused by years of sedentary office work and living in a country where the sun is not often seen. 

I'm learning it again as I recover from a stroke that seems to have had no root cause. 

Part of any recovery is what and how you think. You have to believe that better is possible before you strive for it. 

You have to believe that there is another side to your pain and that you will eventually reach it. 

Mary and Martha had hit the rockiest of rock bottoms. Lazarus had been ill. He had died.

Jesus had not been there for them. He had now turned up four days after Lazarus’ burial.

Jewish tradition taught that a person’s soul left their body after three days. 

By any measure, Lazarus’ situation was beyond hopeless.  

And then Jesus says these words: these bewildering words.  

Yet Martha had still not given up hope: 

“But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”” 

John 11:22 NIV 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.11.22.NIV)

In their situation, that was a thoroughly remarkable thing to say. 

But even though she believed Jesus was the Messiah (John 11:27) and that God would answer His prayers, she still believed that Lazarus would only be raised on the last day (John 11:24), not right then and there. 

And why would she? 

As I said, the recovery from any bad situation is as much mental as it is physical. We have to believe that better is possible, even if we can't see how. 

And that creates within us a battle with unbelief. We want to believe, but we can’t because it seems impossible or out of reach. 

It’s in those occasions when we need to stop trying and start relying on God. We might not have the faith we think we need. But we don’t need to have great faith. We only need to have faith in Someone Great (Luke 17:6), because the outcome does not depend on our faith alone, but on the One in whom we have faith. 

And He is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). 

We just need to trust in Him, then stand back and wait to see what He will do.