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Just a word of thanks to you, Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus:
When your brother became ill and you sent word to the Lord, I know you watched for His arrival. When He didn't come and didn't come and didn't come, you were hurt, you were confused, you were angry, you were heartbroken. When Lazarus died and Jesus still hadn't shown up, maybe you even entertained the thought -- however fleetingly -- that perhaps everything you thought you knew of Jesus had been some kind of dream.
When the Lord finally arrived, you greeted Him the same way I'm sure I would have: "Lord, if You had been here...!"
I thank you, Mary and Martha, because I now know that one of the reasons the Lord Jesus let you endure this trial was for me. Not for me alone, but for all who have watched and waited for Him and have become confused, angry, hurt, and finally heartbroken by the long delay. Why is He ignoring our urgent message? Doesn't He care? How can He say not to worry, when we've been left to carry the burden of this?
Before Jesus called your brother from the grave, you knew He could heal and restore, and even give life. But on that strange and remarkable day, you saw first hand that God is God, that He answers to no one, because He always knows what He's doing. Every dropped thread, every fallen hope, every endless wait: He hasn't forgotten anything. He hasn't missed anything. He knows the wait is interminable from our perspective, but He is preparing the dead for life: This work is His alone. If need be, the rules of time and space must be suspended, and we are not invited to understand why. He will accomplish what He sets out to do.