God's ways are not ours but they are perfect. God has purposed that it is through suffering that we are brought into a deeper level of faith and usefulness in His kingdom. At the time nothing in this passage made sense to the disciples. Jesus could have gone to where was and healed him. Jesus could have healed Lazarus from where He was as he did the servant of the Centurion. If Jesus had done what they expected and healed Lazarus immediately they would have given thanks and glorified God.
Jesus deliberately did not give them what was good because He desired to give them something even better. We must move beyond being satisfied with little blessings and seek the full disclosure of the heart and the glory of God. When we genuinely ask for that we must be willing to accept the suffering that will go with it. If you will fully trust Him in this then He will form you into a vessel for His glory.
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Pastor Jim McLoughlin has been a follower of Jesus Christ for over 30 years. Jim is currently the interim Pastor at the Tottenville Evangelical Free Church in Staten Island New York. He also holds a full-time job as a computer consultant. Pastor McLoughlin and his wife Cheryl...