“Lord, if only you had been here...”
"Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." John 11:21,32 This verse stood out to me while reading the account of Lazarus' death, and the miracle of Jesus bringing him back to life. Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, each said this independently when they saw Jesus on his arrival. They had sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick, and Jesus stayed where He was for two more days before making the 2-day journey to where Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were. So did Jesus simply wait so that the death and resurrection of Lazarus could be another miracle pointing to Jesus' divinity and so that God could be glorified? In verse 40 He does answer this - "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" So in the face of our fears, setbacks, and tragedies, we are so often like Mary and Martha. While we may still believe in who He is, we deny His power and question His will. "Where were you Lord?" ...