You prayed when it first started.
You asked while there was still time.
But now it feels different.
Too far gone. Too final.
And you’re sitting there thinking…
If God was going to move, wouldn’t He have done it by now?
Let’s see what the Scripture actually says.
John 11:39–44 (KJV)
“Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”
Look at where this starts.
“Take ye away the stone.”
That’s the first instruction.
Before anything changes.
Before life returns.
Before any visible miracle.
He tells them to move what’s in the way.
Martha pushes back.
“Lord, by this time he stinketh…”
She’s being honest.
It’s been four days.
This isn’t fresh.
This is final.
Decay has already set in.
She’s not doubting for no reason.
She’s responding to what she knows is real.
Do you see that?
Then Jesus answers her.
“If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see…”
Notice the order.
Believe first.
Then see.
Not the other way around.
That’s not what your natural thinking expects, is it?
Then they act.
“They took away the stone…”
They moved what Jesus told them to move.
Even though it didn’t make sense.
Even though nothing had changed yet.
That’s a response before evidence.
Then Jesus speaks.
“Lazarus, come forth.”
A direct word.
Into a dead situation.
No process. No delay.
Just a command.
And then…
“He that was dead came forth…”
The result shows up.
But only after the word is spoken and acted on.
Now step back into the full moment.
Jesus knew Lazarus was sick.
And He didn’t rush.
He stayed where He was.
That matters.
Because this wasn’t late by accident.
In John 11:6 (KJV)
“When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place…”
He waited.
Not because He didn’t care.
But because something greater was about to be revealed.
By the time He arrives, Lazarus is dead.
Buried.
Mourned.
From every human perspective… over.
That context changes how you read the miracle.
Because this isn’t healing.
This is resurrection.
This is beyond recovery.
And that’s exactly where Jesus steps in.
You see this same truth elsewhere.
In Romans 4:17 (KJV)
“God… calleth those things which be not as though they were.”
He speaks into what doesn’t exist yet.
And it responds.
And in Ezekiel 37:4–5 (KJV)
“O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord… Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live.”
Dead things respond to His word.
And in John 5:25 (KJV)
“The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
That’s exactly what happens here.
Now sit with this honestly.
You’ve probably got something that feels sealed.
Like a stone is already in place.
You’ve accepted it as done.
Finished.
No coming back from this.
And if you’re real about it… you’ve adjusted your expectations.
Is that what’s been happening?
Have you quietly decided it’s too late?
Because Martha had faith.
She believed in Jesus.
But she limited what that meant in this moment.
She believed for the future.
“Resurrection at the last day…”
But not for now.
Not for this situation.
Not for this timing.
That’s the tension.
Do you believe… but only within certain limits?
So what does this look like for you?
It’s not denying reality.
It’s not pretending something isn’t dead.
It’s choosing to respond to what Jesus says, even when everything around you says it’s over.
It’s moving the stone when He tells you to.
Even if you don’t see how anything could change.
So when you’re facing that situation again…
The one that feels final…
What would it look like for you to act on His word anyway?
Because the miracle didn’t start when Lazarus walked out.
It started when they moved the stone.
Before anything changed.
Before anything made sense.
So here’s the question that stays with you.
Are you waiting for proof that it’s possible…
or are you willing to move what He told you to move first?
Call to Action: The Question That Demands an AnswerIn Acts 2:37 Peter and the Apostles were asked the question – What Shall We do? And in Acts 2:38 Peter answered, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Do you understand this? After hearing the gospel and believing, they asked what should would do. The answer hasn’t changed friend, Peter clearly gave the answer. The question for you today is, Have you receieved the Holy Spirit Since you believed? If you’re ready to take that step, or you want to learn more about what it means to be born again of water and Spirit, visit: Come, and let the Spirit make you new. |
