Lazarus, Come Forth
TiffanyAnn Lewis

There is a stone that lies between us and our destiny. 

The backdrop this month is John 11.  Lazarus is dead and has been buried four days when Jesus enters the picture.  He is met with ‘if only’ from both Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus.  “Lord, if (only) You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died”. (vs. 21, 32)  They believed that Jesus was able to heal the sick but thought the situation was hopeless now that Lazarus was dead.  ‘If only’ was missing the point of “this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God….” (vs. 4)   Without death there would be no resurrection.  Martha and Mary had seen the miracles of God yet when things went beyond their comprehension, they started ‘if onlying.’  

Oh how easily we forget yesterday’s miracle when today’s trials come at us!  These trials don’t just come in sickness and hardships; they touch each and every area in our lives both physically and emotionally.  We have dreamed before, we have believed before and we have been let down before.  We become numb and are afraid to try again or even to just believe again.  We learn to hide behind ‘if only’ because we don’t want anyone to see our fear, not even God.  Even so, the Lord asked to be brought to where Lazarus was laid and “Jesus wept.” (vs 34-35) 

I don’t believe Jesus was weeping because He knew Lazarus was dead.  Let’s remember HE’S GOD, He breathed the breath of life into humanity.  Death doesn’t trouble Him, in fact, there are 9 recorded resurrections in the bible (*see chart below).  I believe He wept with frustration.  “…Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, “take away the stone.”” (vs. 38-39)  This word groaning in the Greek is used:

·      to express anger
·      to indicate a speaking or acting with deep feeling. (Strongs # 1690)   

Jesus sees the destiny in all of us and is anguished because we are bound by fear and locked behind the stones of ‘if only’. 

Martha replies to His command to take away the stone with hopelessness.  “Lord, by this time there is a stench….” (vs. 39)   Can you relate?  We think the situation we are in is beyond repair so it becomes easier to just stay behind the stone.  We reason that since we’ve been here so long, why bother.  We’ve tried before and failed.  Each of us has a ‘if only’ stipulation hiding someplace in our heart.  If, when, then we ‘would’ or ‘could’.   Can you see why Jesus is groaning and weeping?  The Devil…is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)   He will stop at nothing to keep us behind the stone. 

‘If only’ functions by tossing fear and doubt into our faith.  We protect our fragile heart by playing it safe meanwhile, the ‘if only’ that is trying to protect us becomes a stone that keeps us from our destiny in Him.  Faith is walking before the evidence of the miracle is revealed.  Jesus said, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”  (vs. 40) 

Romans 8:28 says “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  All things, is all things.  He can take the good, the bad and the indifferent of our lives and work it out when we are called according to His purpose.  It won’t be by our might or by our power but by His Spirit for that is where His glory is.  Where is the glory if I could do it myself?  The glory is revealed when there is nothing in me that can do it, where His Spirit defies the natural realm.  We must trust Him in all things.

As believers we can’t just lift our shield of faith and remain behind the stone saying, “if only there weren’t a stone in my way.”  We will experience freedom when we respond, pushing past our fear, to the sound of God’s voice calling us forth.  Lazarus couldn’t do anything to control his destiny; Jesus did it all.  All he had to do was put one foot in front of the other and walk out and suddenly, the Glory of the Lord was revealed in him, to him and through him. 

Lazarus’ grave experience/his sickness, was not unto death, but for the glory of God, and so is ours.  Laying there behind the stone a work was done.  Something died and something was resurrected.  If we can breathe again we can believe again.  If we believe again we can try again.  The time will never be perfect in our mind, but the time is now for we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor. 5:7)  It’s time to let the Lord roll away the stone.  It’s time to arise above insecurities, failures and disappointments.  It’s time to emerge in His glory and walk in the destiny that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in. (see Eph. 2:10)

 “Arise, shine; For your light has come!  And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.”  (Is. 60:1) 

*Recorded Resurrections: (resurrected back to their physical body) 

• 1 Kings 17:17-22         Son of the Zarephath widow
• 2 Kings 4:32-35           Son of Shunammite woman
• 2 Kings 13:20-21         A man whose body touched Elisha’s bones
• Luke 7:11-15               Son of the widow Nain
• Luke 8:41-42, 49-55    Daugher of Jairus
• John 11:1-44                Lazarus
• Acts 9:36-41                Tabitha which is translated Dorcas
• Acts 20:9-12                Eutychus 
• Matthew 28:5-8            Jesus  - (resurrected to His glorified body)

*All scripture is quoted from NKJV unless noted.
*This writing is not intended to become a doctrine but rather something to ponder and glean from if the Lord speaks to you through it.