“God, Where Were You?”
Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” - (John 11:21–22)
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Loosely paraphrased, Martha was saying, “Lord, you blew it.”
Jesus loved her brother, Lazarus. But when Martha and Mary sent word to Him that Lazarus was sick, He waited. In fact, He waited a long time. He waited so long that Lazarus wasn’t just sick, he was dead. And he had been dead for four days. Martha wasn’t happy about it.
Have you ever felt that way? Something happened, and you said, “God, where were You?”Where were You when this marriage dissolved? . . . Where were You when my parents divorced? . . . Where were You when my child went astray? . . . Where were You when my loved one died?
But notice that Jesus did not reprove Martha for what she said. He could have. In some ways, it seems like He should have. But I think the reason He didn’t was because it isn’t sinful to tell God how you feel. That is all Martha was doing. She was just being honest with God.
Even our Lord, when He hung on the cross and was bearing the sins of the world, cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). That could sound accusatory, but Jesus was simply describing the reality of the situation. He was crying out to God.
When something difficult happens, we can withdraw from God and from others. We can get mad at God and at God’s people. But we need God, and we need His people.
Just talk to God. Tell Him how you’re really feeling. If you’re hurting, tell Him you’re hurting. If you’re in pain, tell Him you’re in pain. If you’re happy, tell Him you’re happy. Be honest with God.
Copyright © 2016 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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